Chef's recipe: pear and chocolate yule log

Recipe provided by instructor Dimitri Béchez for a 6-person Yule log (Mold used: semi-round Yule log mold)

Reconstituted cocoa shortbread

• 200g cocoa shortbread cookies
• 50g butter
• 50g dark chocolate couverture
  

Crush the cocoa shortbread cookies, making sure to keep some nice chunks of varying sizes.
Melt the butter and couverture together.
Add the mixture to the shortbread. Spread between two sheets.

Cocoa sponge cake

• 35g egg yolks
• 100g eggs
• 75g sugar
• 80g egg whites
• 40g sugar
• 30g flour
• 30g cocoa powder
  

Whisk the sugar, eggs, and yolks together using a stand mixer until ribbon stage.
Whisk the egg whites and stiffen them with the 40g of sugar.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together.
Gently fold the two whipped mixtures together, add the powders, pour into the mold, then bake at 170°C for about 10 minutes.

Guanaja creamy insert

• 100g cream
• 100g whole milk
• 40g yolks
• 20g sugar
• 95g Guanaja couverture
• 1g fleur de sel
  

Bring the milk and cream to a boil.
Pour part of the liquid over the yolks and sugar, then return to the saucepan.
Cook until it coats the back of a spoon, then pour over the couverture in several stages to create a beautiful emulsion. Add the fleur de sel. Pour into the small log insert molds.

Roasted pear Bavarian cream

• 135g diced pears
• 65g cream
• 9g powdered milk
• 75g sugar
• 20g yolks
• 35g gelatin mass
• 10g white vinegar
• 200g whipped cream
  

Caramelize the diced pears in the oven for about 20 minutes, then infuse in the cream overnight.
Blend then strain; rebalance the weight to 200g of liquid with pear puree.
Bring the liquids with the powdered milk to a boil.
Whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale.
Cook the custard. Add the bloomed gelatin.
Cool directly to 20°C.
Smooth the Bavarian cream and fold in the whipped cream.

Black spray coating

• 150g dark couverture
• 150g cocoa butter
  

Melt the dark couverture and cocoa butter at 45°C and blend. Strain and use immediately.

Assembly

Assemble upside down: pipe the mousse into the bottom of the U-shaped mold, line the edges, then place the frozen chocolate creamy insert.
Pipe the mousse until 80% full, place the sponge cake then the reconstituted shortbread, smooth out, and then freeze.
Unmold the frozen entremets and spray with the black coating.
Pipe a decoration in the center of the log, place pear slices, chocolate shavings, and pieces of gold leaf.