Pineapple, Coconut & Black Sesame Praline Christmas Yule Log

To make this Pineapple, Coconut & Black Sesame Praline Yule Log recipe, start by preparing the ingredients for the homemade black sesame praline.

Homemade black sesame praline: Spread the black sesame seeds over a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spreading them evenly across the surface. Place the tray in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 150°C, and toast the seeds for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a dry caramel in a saucepan (without adding water). To do this, pour the caster sugar into an empty heated saucepan...

...and let it heat until the sugar melts and gradually turns into caramel.

From this point, start stirring to incorporate the remaining granulated sugar using a spatula.

Gradually, the sugar will melt and form a syrup that will turn into caramel. Some lumps may form — crush them with the tip of the spatula to dissolve them.

Continue cooking while stirring regularly with the spatula to achieve an even golden colour. Cook over gentle heat to prevent the caramel from darkening too quickly, which would make it bitter. Then add the fleur de sel and mix.

Once the black sesame seeds are toasted, remove them from the oven and pour them directly into the hot caramel.

Mix thoroughly with the spatula so that all the sesame seeds are evenly coated with caramel.

When the seeds are well coated...

...transfer the mixture onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper...

...spreading it out as best as you can, as it's a very sticky preparation. Let it cool at room temperature.

When the caramelized sesame has completely cooled, break it into pieces and place it in a food processor bowl...

...and blend for a long time until very fine.

At first, you'll get a grainy, sandy texture.

Continue blending...

...until the mixture becomes smooth and paste-like, forming a praline. The blending takes quite a while to reach the right consistency. Be careful not to overheat your food processor — blend in short bursts.

During blending, you can add one or two tablespoons of grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil). This will help achieve the desired paste-like praline texture.

Your black sesame praline is now ready; set it aside.

Soft chocolate sponge: Prepare all the ingredients.

Pour the whole egg and the caster sugar into a mixing bowl...

...and blanch using a whisk...

...until you can no longer hear the sugar grains rubbing at the bottom of the bowl.

Add the flour...

...the baking powder...

...as well as the fine salt...

...and the cocoa powder.

Whisk vigorously...

...until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.

Finally, add the previously melted butter and mix again.

Place a rectangular stainless steel mousse frame 37 x 9cm on a perforated baking tray lined with a Silpat baking mat. There's no need to grease the frame or the mat.

Pour the chocolate sponge batter directly into the frame...

...and spread it evenly with a small offset spatula...

...like this.

Place the tray in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 180°C and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on your oven. Be careful not to overbake so it stays soft.

Once baked, remove the soft chocolate sponge from the oven...

...and let it cool to room temperature. Set aside.

Light coconut mousse: Prepare all the ingredients. Mix the powdered gelatin with the hydration water (tap or mineral water) and let it sit for 15 minutes to bloom.

Pour the small amount of heavy cream, milk, and coconut milk into a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Place the egg yolk and caster sugar in a mixing bowl...

...and blanch the mixture until light and fluffy.

As soon as the liquid mixture boils, pour it over the whisked egg mixture while stirring continuously.

Pour everything back into the saucepan used for the milk, cream, and coconut milk.

Cook 'à la nappe' like a crème anglaise, stirring in 8-shaped motions with a maryse spatula, until the cream reaches 82°C.

When the mixture reaches 82°C, remove the pan from the heat and add the hydrated gelatin. Stir well to fully incorporate.

Add a few drops of coconut flavouring to intensify the taste and stir again. This step is optional.

Transfer the coconut-flavoured custard into a food container to cool.

Black sesame praline crémeux: Prepare all ingredients. Hydrate the powdered gelatin with water and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Pour the heavy cream and milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl.

Add the caster sugar...

...and whisk until pale.

When the cream and milk come to a boil...

...pour them over the egg yolk mixture while whisking.

Return everything to the saucepan...

...and cook until it coats the back of a spoon, as before.

When cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat...

...and add the hydrated gelatin...

...and the homemade black sesame praline prepared earlier.

Mix vigorously with the maryse spatula.

Finish blending with a hand blender to obtain a smooth, homogeneous black sesame praline crémeux. Set aside.

Caramelized roasted pineapple brunoise: Take a pineapple and peel it using a serrated sponge cake knife. Start by removing all the skin around the pineapple...

...then cut slices about 0.5cm thick from one side to the core.

Repeat on the other sides to obtain thick rectangular slices like the ones shown.

Cut these slices into sticks...

...and then into small cubes.

You now have your pineapple brunoise.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat.

Add the butter and let it melt.

Split half a vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife tip. Add both the seeds and the pod to the pan while the butter melts.

Then add the brown sugar...

...and continue cooking while stirring with a spatula until the sugar caramelizes.

Add the diced fresh pineapple...

...and caramelize them in the pan.

Add the juice of half a lemon.

Cook the pineapple pieces without turning them into a compote — they should remain slightly golden and whole, with the juice fully evaporated.

Add the dark rum to the hot pan.

Once the rum starts boiling, bring a flame to it with a lighter or kitchen torch to flambé the pineapple.

When the flame dies down, transfer the caramelized roasted pineapple brunoise to a food container...

...and let it cool to room temperature.

Fill a cavity of the yule log insert mould with the pineapple brunoise. Make sure the pineapple cubes are cold at this stage to avoid deforming the mould.

Press the pineapple pieces firmly into the cavity, filling 1/3 of the mould...

...like this. Place in the freezer.

Blend the remaining caramelized roasted pineapple brunoise with the immersion blender until you get a purée. This will be used later for the roasted pineapple mousse.

Take the black sesame praline crémeux prepared earlier and pour it into the insert mould, directly over the pineapple cubes, filling it up to 2/3.

Here, I placed a spatula in the second cavity to balance the mould and prevent it from tipping. Cover with film and freeze.

Light coconut mousse (continued): Pour the cold heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip it to soft peaks.

Place the coconut-flavoured custard (cooled but not set) in a bowl and add half of the whipped cream. Quickly whisk to combine...

...until smooth.

Add the remaining whipped cream...

...and gently fold with a maryse spatula until the mixture is smooth and airy. You can give two or three quick whisks if small lumps of cream remain.

Transfer this mousse into a pouring jug for easier use.

Pour the light coconut mousse into the insert mould up to the top, directly over the black sesame praline crémeux that has set in the freezer.

Then smooth the surface of the mousse using an offset spatula.

Cover everything in contact with a sheet of paper film and place back in the freezer.

Roasted pineapple mousse: Hydrate the powdered gelatin with the hydration water and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Pour the roasted caramelized pineapple purée obtained in step 84, previously weighed, into a saucepan. Heat gently.

Boiling is not necessary; the preparation should reach around 50°C.

When this temperature is reached, add the hydrated and melted gelatin...

...stirring until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Release the soft chocolate sponge by running the blade of a knife between the inner edge of the stainless steel frame and the sponge.

Remove the stainless steel frame.

Cut the sponge rectangle to a width of 8 cm...

...using a knife and a ruler.

Trim this strip of sponge to 35cm in length.

Spread the remaining homemade black sesame praline over this chocolate sponge base...

...and spread it evenly across the entire surface to a uniform thickness using a small offset spatula.

You can use a scraper to push the praline all the way to the edges of the sponge...

...without letting it drip onto the silicone mat, noting that the praline's texture is thick enough that a scraper may not be needed.

This is the desired result. Set aside.

Roasted pineapple mousse (continued): Pour the cold whipping cream into the stand mixer bowl and whip it.

The whipped cream should be soft and airy.

Transfer the pineapple purée (cooled but not set) into a mixing bowl.

Add half of the whipped cream...

...and whisk quickly...

...until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

Add the remaining whipped cream...

...and gently fold it in with a spatula...

...making upward motions...

...until the roasted pineapple mousse is smooth and even, as shown in the photo.

Transfer the mousse into a piping bag (without nozzle).

Line the non-stick yule log mould with an acetate sheet cut with a craft knife...

...to the correct dimensions: 34.5 x 15 cm.

Place the acetate sheet inside the yule log mould so that it sits flush with the edges.

Set the mould on a baking tray.

Remove the insert from the freezer and loosen the edges of the mould.

Flip the mould over to unmould the insert.

You should now have your insert with its three visible layers (pineapple brunoise + black sesame praline crémeux + light coconut mousse).

Pipe the roasted pineapple mousse into the bottom of the yule log mould, directly against the acetate sheet...

...and spread the mousse up along the sides with a small offset spatula.

Place the insert into the yule log mould, curved side down, directly in contact with the roasted pineapple mousse (so the flat side is facing up). Press it gently into the mousse, keeping it centred and level.

Cover the insert with the remaining roasted pineapple mousse...

...and smooth the surface using an offset spatula.

The surface should be perfectly flat, with a shallow recess of 3 to 5 mm to accommodate the sponge base.

Gently take the soft chocolate sponge base. It's not frozen, so it's fragile...

...and invert it into the yule log mould so that the homemade black sesame praline is directly in contact with the roasted pineapple mousse, and the chocolate sponge side is on top.

Align the edges neatly to obtain this result.

Seal the surface of the sponge with melted dark chocolate applied in a thin layer with a pastry brush.

This is the result you should obtain. Let the chocolate set in the fridge.

Then cover everything in contact with a sheet of plastic wrap...

...and place in the freezer. The yule log can be prepared up to this stage several days or even weeks in advance.

Finish: Take a fresh pineapple and remove the crown.

Peel it using a serrated sponge cake knife...

...and cut the pineapple into thin slices, 2 to 3 mm thick, making sure to keep them whole. A slicer can help with this step.

Use a round cutter slightly smaller than the pineapple slices to cut them evenly.

Then finish trimming with a pair of scissors...

...to achieve this result. You'll need to adjust the cutter diameter, as slices near the ends of the fruit will be smaller than those from the centre.

Place the pineapple slices on the trays of a dehydrator, spacing them evenly...

...and insert the trays into the machine. Dehydrate at 55-60°C for about 12 hours, ideally overnight. Once dried, the slices can be stored in an airtight container.

Thin black mirror glaze (make the day before): Gather all ingredients. Hydrate the powdered gelatin with the hydration water for at least 15 minutes.

Weigh the glucose syrup directly into the saucepan.

Add the water...

...and the sugar. Bring everything to a boil.

Place the dark chocolate pistoles and cocoa powder into a pouring jug.

Add the sweetened condensed milk...

...as well as the hydrated gelatin.

When the syrup reaches 103°C — meaning it has boiled and cooked for about 30 seconds longer — the sugar should be completely dissolved. Allow the bubbles to settle to check.

Then pour the syrup into the pouring jug...

...and blend everything with a hand blender until smooth and homogeneous.

Cover the mirror glaze directly in contact with plastic wrap...

...and refrigerate overnight.

Finishing (continued): The next day, remove the dehydrated pineapple slices from the machine. Transfer them to a dish and set aside.

Also remove the mirror glaze from the fridge...

...and take off the plastic wrap.

You now have a gelatinized glaze.

Reheat this glaze in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, until the outer edges are melted (the centre will remain solid). Start blending until you get a smooth, fluid glaze. It should not exceed 35-40°C when used.

Remove the yule log mould from the freezer...

...and take off the plastic wrap. The log should be frozen solid for easy unmoulding and optimal glazing.

Turn the mould over onto a baking tray to unmould the log. It should release easily. If it resists, slightly warm the edges with a kitchen torch or wipe away frost to help unmoulding.

Remove the acetate sheet lining the inside of the mould.

Place the still-frozen log onto a deep tray lined with a wire rack.

Give the glaze another quick blend before pouring it over the log in one steady motion from one end to the other, without going back and forth, ensuring full coverage. Be careful — going back over will create a thick, uneven layer with visible marks.

This is what the result should look like.

Lift the glazed log with two offset spatulas and gently rotate it over the rack to break the glaze threads.

Place the log on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate to thaw. Allow 4 to 5 hours for complete thawing in the fridge.

Once thawed, sprinkle black sesame seeds over the surface, starting from one end to the other, beginning with a dense layer that gradually becomes lighter toward the tip...

...like this.

Lay the pineapple slices flat on top...

...they will adhere to the glaze, which acts as glue.

Finish with a third slice of pineapple.

Here is your decorated pineapple, coconut & black sesame praline yule log. Transfer it to a serving platter and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!