Passion Fruit Yule Log with a Chocolate Insert

Before starting this Passion Fruit Yule Log with a Chocolate Insert recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the chocolate insert. I recommend making it the day before.

For the chocolate insert: Place the egg yolks into the stand mixer recipient.

In a saucepan, place the castor sugar and water...

... then bring to a boil and continue cooking until the sugar reaches 119°C. The use of a digital or laser thermometer is recommended.

Start beating at high speed then reduce the speed and add the cooked sugar once the boiling stops. Pour the sugar against the inner side of the bowl. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, increase the speed and beat until cooled down completely.

In the meantime, melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. You can also use a microwave, melting the chocolate in periods of 30 seconds, stirring regularly to prevent it from burning.

Once cooled down, the preparation should be pale and doubled in volume. This preparation is called 'pâte à bombe'. Set aside.

Place the cold whipping cream in the stand mixer bowl. Beat until you obtain a whipped cream.

Add the pâte à bombe to the melted chocolate...

... and fold gently.

Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the chocolate preparation.

Combine vigorously with a whisk until homogeneous.

Add the remaining whipped cream and combine gently with a rubber spatula, working in a vertical, rotating motion so the preparation doesn't collapse.

Pour the preparation into the cavities of a plastic insert yule log mould. The quantities listed above will make two inserts. Divide the portions in half if you only want to make one insert.

Even the surface with a cranked metallic spatula.

Cover the surface with cling film and store in the freezer. This chocolate insert should be prepared the day before and stored in the freezer overnight.

For the passion fruit mousse: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl filled with cold water.

In a saucepan, pour the castor sugar and fruit purée.

Place the saucepan on the heat...

... and bring to a boil.

Strain the gelatine sheets...

... and add them to the hot fruit purée.

Combine with a whisk...

... until fully dissolved. Leave to cool at room temperature. The preparation should have a temperature between 25 and 30°C.

Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the tempered passion fruit purée...

... and combine with a whisk.

Add the rest of the whipped cream...

... and fold gently with a rubber spatula, making sure the preparation doesn't collapse. Transfer the preparation into a piping bag. The use of a nozzle is not necessary. Reserve in the fridge. This preparation will be used later when assembling the log.

Tempering the chocolate: Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie, stirring gently. You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave, in periods of 20 seconds to make sure it does not burn.

When the chocolate has almost completely melted (only a few solid pistoles should remain), remove the recipient from the bain-marie. At this stage, the chocolate is roughly 40°C. The temperature should not exceed 45°C.

The chocolate will continue melting without exposing it to any source of heat. Let the temperature go down to 34-35°C.

Add the Mycryo cocoa butter. This cocoa butter is 100% natural. The supplied dispenser cup contains 10 grams, i.e. the necessary quantity for 1 kg of chocolate.

Sprinkle the cocoa butter over the chocolate at 34°C and combine.

Stop stirring for a little while and let the powder melt slowly.

Stir again and let the temperature go down to 31°C.

To monitor the temperature of the chocolate, the use of a thermometer is essential. I recommend using a laser thermometer, as this product provides accurate information without being in direct contact with food.
The chocolate is now ready to use. Make sure the temperature is maintained at 31°C.

Cut the chocolate transfer sheet to the dimensions of the mould, to a length of 35 cm and a width of 15cm. Reduce these dimensions by a few millimetres...

... to make sure the transfer sheet doesn't come out of the mould.

Give a stir to the chocolate at 31°C.

Place the transfer sheet (printed side facing up) on greaseproof paper. Pour a thin stream of chocolate over the transfer sheet.

Using a cranked metallic spatula, spread the chocolate to a thin layer.

The chocolate should crystallize within a few minutes. The chocolate will slowly become opaque. Gently lift one corner of the transfer sheet with a knife.

Lift the whole transfer sheet with your hands...

... and arrange carefully in the yule log mould.

Let it slide gently until centred in the mould. At this stage, the chocolate is not completelty crystallized, between liquid and solid. Leave the chocolate in the mould until set (it should completely opaque).

In the meantime, remove the chocolate insert from the freezer...

... and gently release it from the mould.

Set aside.

At this stage, the chocolate should be set. It is not breakable yet, but you can see that it is no longer glossy (compared to step 46). The following steps should be done quickly, as the chocolate shell will shrink if left empty and exposed for too long. Move quickly onto the next operation.

Remove the piping bag with the passion fruit mousse from the fridge and fill the yule log mould halfway up.

At this stage, the result should look like what is shown in the photo.

Arrange the chocolate insert in the centre, burying it the mousse. The rounded side should be facing down.

Place the Cara Crakine in the microwave for a few seconds until smooth and soft. Transfer in a piping bag, then pipe a lace of caramel filling on top of the chocolate insert.

At this stage, the log should look like this. Slide a spoon over the Cara Crakine preparation to flatten it a little.

Pipe the remaining passion fruit preparation...

... and fill the mould.

Using a metallic cranked spatula, create a volcano shape, so that the mousse goes all the way up the rim. This will get rid of any air bubbles. Reserve in the fridge.

Arrange the pieces of sesame seed nougatine on a Silpat baking mat. Make the nougatine pieces overlap slightly.

Place the tray in the oven preheated at 150°C (gas 2), for about 10 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven. The nougatine should be soft.

Cover with another silicone mat...

... as shown in the photo...

... using a rolling pin, flatten the nougatine brittle into a regular layer.

Remove the mat on top.

Place a cardboard rectangle over the nougatine and cut along the rectangle with a knife.

The rectangle should be cut to the exact same dimensions as the yule log mould.

You should obtain a neat rectangle, with a thickness of 2 or 3mm.

Set aside to cool.

When the nougatine is cold, arrange it on top of the passion fruit mousse and press down to make it stick. Make sure you don't press down too hard so the chocolate sheel doesn't break. Store in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours to allow the passion fruit mousse to set.

For the finish: Remove the log from the fridge.

Slide the blade of a knife at both ends of the mould...

... and carefully release the log from the mould, onto a Mealplak serving plate.

Remove the transfer sheet. The pattern should now be printed on the surface. Store this festive yule log in the fridge until ready to serve. You can also stick decorated yule log tips at both ends of the log.