Ingredients for 1 Citrus Yule log for 12 serves
Vanilla shortbread
172g Butter
110g Powdered sugar
35g Ground almonds
5g Salt
65g Eggs
1g Vanilla powder
288g Flour T55
Rub together (sabler) the butter, powdered sugar, ground almonds, salt, vanilla powder and flour T55. Add the eggs.
Finish the shortbread pastry and roll out to 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick using a dough sheeter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, and then cut rectangles the same size as the Yule log. Place the pastry dough on an exopat and bake at 155°C (310°F) for 20 minutes.
Fruit confit
418g Mango purée
84g Mandarin juice
124g Comice pear, cut into cubes
20g Sugar
4g Vanilla powder
1g Tonka bean
8g Pectin 325 NH 95
8g Agar-agar
28g Unrefined cane sugar
46g Gelatin mass
46g Honey
Cut the pears into 5 mm (0.2 inch) cubes. In a pan, melt the sugar and heat until it becomes a golden caramel; add the pears and cook over low heat then strain.
Heat the mango purée, mandarin juice, vanilla and grated tonka bean to 40°C (105°F). Mix together the sugar, pectin and agar-agar and cook with the purée and juice a few minutes at a boil. Test the mix to see if cooked and add the gelatin. Refrigerate and then combine with the cooked pears.
Mandarin Bavarian cream
173g Milk
346g UHT cream
5g Homemade vanilla paste
5g Tonka bean
173g Egg yolks
80g Unrefined cane sugar
138g Gelatin mass
519g UHT cream
7g Mandarin peel
Zest the mandarins into the second quantity of cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix without adding air. Refrigerate.
Bring the first quantity of cream with the milk, vanilla and tonka bean to a boil. Pour onto the egg yolks and stir in. Put into a pan and cook to 82°C (180°F); add the gelatin mass and leave to lightly set in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally until it reaches 20°C (68°F). Whip the infused cream with the zests and gently fold into the mixture.
Japanese biscuit sponge
30g Milk
100g Butter
140g Flour T55
70g Hazelnut paste
200g Eggs
160g Egg yolks
300g Egg whites
80g Sugar
Melt the butter with the milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the sifted flour. Mix well, add the hazelnut paste and dehydrate the mixture. Gradually add the eggs and egg yolks. Beat the egg whites and meringue with the sugar. Add a little of the meringued egg whites to the choux pastry dough, then gently fold in the remaining meringued egg whites with a rubber spatula. Use a ‘chablon’ stencil and spread the biscuit to an even thinness on an exopat.
Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F) and bake at 200°C (390°F) for 3 minutes. Cut strips in order to cover the Yule log.
Citrus meringue
200g Egg whites
200g Sugar
5 piece Grapefruit zests
1 piece Lime zest
100g Powdered sugar
Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and meringue with the sugar. Add the zests and gently fold in with a rubber spatula. Pipe, sprinkle with powdered sugar and bake very briefly at 230°C (445°F).
Assembly
Make the vanilla shortbread.
Then make the fruit confit and refrigerate to set.
Cut the pear cubes and cook in the caramel. When cold, smooth the fruit confit with a whisk and gently add the caramelized pears. In a log mold, lightly grease the interior and place a piece of guitar acetate plastic inside. Pour the fruit confit to half-way. Freeze.
Make the Japanese biscuit sponge.
Unmold the fruit confit insert and leave in the freezer.
Make the mandarin Bavarian cream.
Put another sheet of guitar acetate plastic in the mold and pour the mandarin Bavarian cream to fill ¾, then gently add the insert. Smooth to the top with the remaining Bavarian cream. Set in the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours. Unmold. Cut the Japanese biscuit sponge in a strip in order to cover the Yule log. Place the Yule log on the vanilla shortbread. Set aside in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 230°C (445°F).
Make the citrus meringue.
Place on a baking sheet. With a pastry bag and Saint-Honoré tip, gently pipe long meringue teardrops. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and bake for 30 seconds at 230°C (445°F).
Learn more about Nina Metayer’s career and discover her chocolate triangle yule log recipe
