Igloo Christmas Yule Log with Mandarin Orange, Vanilla & Hazelnut

Soft hazelnut sponge: To make this Igloo Christmas yule log recipe with mandarin orange, vanilla & hazelnut, start by preparing all the ingredients for the soft hazelnut sponge.

Pour the egg whites into the bowl of the stand mixer and start whipping them with the whisk attachment.

When the whites start to turn frothy, add the caster sugar and continue whipping to obtain a soft meringue...

...as shown in the photo. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over very low heat.

Once melted, continue cooking until you get a brown butter.

Using a fine sieve, sift the icing sugar over the whipped egg whites...

...as well as the flour...

...and the baking powder.

Sift these dry ingredients over the whipped egg whites.

Add the fine salt and the vanilla seeds scraped from a vanilla pod.

Add the hazelnut powder as well...

...and fold gently using a spatula.

Before the mixture is completely uniform, add the brown butter...

...and fold until smooth and homogeneous batter.

Transfer this soft hazelnut sponge batter onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat...

...and spread it to an even thickness of 0.5 cm using a cranked metallic spatula.

This is what the result should look like.

Bake the sheet in a preheated fan-assisted oven at 160°C for about 15 minutes (this baking time may vary from one oven to another).

After baking, remove the sponge from the oven...

...and leave to cool at room temperature.

Once the soft hazelnut sponge has cooled, cover it with a sheet of greaseproof paper...

...and flip the whole thing in one motion, holding both the silicone mat and the greaseproof paper.

Gently peel off the baking mat. The sponge should not stick.

This is what the result should look like.

Take the Igloo silicone mould and measure its width.

We will start by cutting an initial strip of sponge...

...then trim it to a width of 10cm, corresponding to the width of the Igloo mould (or any other mould you're using).

Measure the length of the mould...

...and trim the strip of sponge to match that length.

Trim the edges of this strip to fit the shape of your mould.

Place the strip of soft hazelnut sponge over the silicone mould to check whether the shape matches the mould. Set aside.

Pecan crunch: Prepare all the ingredients.

Place the slices of gingerbread on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Bake the gingerbread in a preheated fan-assisted oven at 150°C for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the gingerbread from the oven. It will still feel soft to the touch while warm. Leave to cool at room temperature.

When the gingerbread is cold, cut it into pieces and place them in the bowl of a food processor.

Then blend the gingerbread to a medium crumb texture.

Place the pecans on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of greaseproof paper and toast them in a preheated fan-assisted oven at 150°C for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once cooled, blend the toasted pecans...

...to a medium crumb texture.

Place the Dulcey blond chocolate pellets in a mixing bowl...

...and melt them in the microwave in 20 to 30 second intervals, stirring every time so the chocolate does not burn.

Add the pecan praline to the melted Dulcey blond chocolate...

...and mix with a spatula.

Add the toasted, ground pecans to the chocolate mixture...

...as well as the gingerbread crumbs...

...the pailleté feuilletine flakes...

...and the fleur de sel.

Mix everything carefully with the spatula until homogeneous.

Place this pecan crunch onto the soft hazelnut sponge...

...and spread it to an even thickness, pressing it down using a mini offset spatula. I used a dough scraper to prevent the preparation from falling over the edges of the sponge and to ensure neat results.

Spread over the whole surface.

This is what the result should look like. Cover directly with cling film and place in the freezer.

Pear compote: Prepare all the ingredients.

Cut the pears into quarters and remove their cores. It is best to use ripe pears.

Cut each pear quarter in half...

...then into small 1cm dices.

Pour these diced pears into a saucepan.

Split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape the inside with the tip of a knife to extract the seeds.

Add these vanilla seeds and the split pod to the saucepan.

Add the honey...

...the butter...

...as well as the ground cinnamon and ground star anise.

Cook over low heat to make a compote.

Cook slowly to avoid rapid evaporation or browning.

Once the pears are cooked, add the NH coating pectin pre-mixed with the caster sugar while whisking the mixture to prevent lumps from forming.

Continue cooking while stirring constantly for 1 minute to activate the properties of the pectin.

Finally, add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Mandarin orange crémeux: Prepare all the ingredients. Mix the powdered gelatine with the hydration water (tap water or mineral water) and leave to hydrate for 15 minutes.

Pour the mandarin puree (juice) into a saucepan and add the zest of half an orange grated with a Classic Microplane zester-grater.

Heat this preparation.

Meanwhile, pour the whole eggs, egg yolks, and caster sugar into a mixing bowl. Blanch.

When the mandarin puree is hot, pour it over the pale eggs and sugar while whisking.

Then pour this mixture back into the mandarin puree cooking saucepan.

Cook 'à la nappe' like a crème anglaise, over medium heat, whisking or stirring constantly with a spatula until thickened. You can start whisking...

...then switch to a spatula during cooking, making 8-shaped motions at the bottom of the saucepan, without exceeding 82°C to avoid scrambled eggs.

When the mixture turns creamy, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter.

Whisk vigorously to fully incorporate the butter into this preparation...

...as shown in the photo.

Finally, add the hydrated gelatine, previously melted in the microwave. Whisk vigorously.

Transfer this mandarin orange crémeux into a food container in a thin layer for optimal cooling.

Leave to cool at room temperature.

Insert: Take the silicone log insert mould and place it on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Pour the mandarin crémeux into the silicone mould...

...leaving a 0.5 cm gap on top.

Cover the mould with a sheet of cling film...

...and place in the freezer.

When the mandarin orange crémeux is frozen, remove it from the freezer, peel off the cling film...

...and add the pear compote on top. It is essential that the crémeux is frozen solid.

Smooth the surface with the mini offset spatula.

Cover with cling film and place in the freezer.

Vanilla & Douglas fir mousse: Prepare all the ingredients. Hydrate the powdered gelatine in the hydration water for 15 minutes.

Pour the milk and the small quantity of whipping cream into a saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape the inside with the tip of a knife to extract the seeds.

Add the split pod and vanilla seeds to the milk and cream.

Once it comes to a boil, add the Douglas fir sprigs...

...immersing them completely in the milk and cream.

Then stretch cling film over the saucepan, as shown in the photo. Leave to infuse for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, beat the larger quantity of whipping cream into whipped cream...

...until you get a soft whipped cream.

The whipped cream must hold its shape while remaining soft, so take care not to overwhip it. Refrigerate.

After infusion, whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until pale.

Remove the cling film and reheat the flavoured milk and cream.

When boiling, pour the milk and cream over the blanched preparation, stirring until homogeneous.

Then pour everything back into the saucepan used to boil the milk and cream.

Cook 'à la nappe', like a crème anglaise, until slightly thickened, without exceeding 82°C and while stirring with a spatula, forming 8-shaped motions at the bottom of the saucepan. Take care not to overcook and end up with scrambled eggs.

The preparation should coat the spatula, as shown in the photo.

Add the hydrated gelatine to the hot cream...

...and stir vigorously to incorporate the gelatine.

Finish by blending everything with a hand blender to fully infuse the fir flavour, until smooth and homogeneous.

Pour the vanilla and fir cream through a fine sieve into a food container to remove the fir sprigs.

Press down on the mixture with a spatula to extract all the flavours.

Leave to cool at room temperature...

...stirring occasionally to speed up the cooling process.

When the preparation reaches room temperature, around 30 to 35°C, transfer it to a container.

Here our cream reads 34.5°C, which is the ideal temperature.

Take the whipped cream out of the fridge and fold half of it into the flavoured cream.

Whisk quickly to combine.

Then add the remaining whipped cream...

...and fold gently with a whisk until the mousse is smooth and homogeneous.

Assembly: Prepare all components: the insert, the base with the crunch, and the Douglas fir/vanilla mousse.

Start by releasing the insert, which must be frozen through. Flip the mould over and press from underneath.

Take the insert and trim it to fit the dimensions of your mould if necessary.

Fill the silicone mould with the Douglas fir/vanilla mousse.

Then place the insert into the mousse, rounded side facing down into the mousse, flat side facing up.

Top up with the remaining mousse before covering with the base, crunch side in contact with the mousse, sponge side facing up.

Press gently with your fingertips to make the mousse rise along the sides...

...and scrape away the excess mousse using the mini offset spatula.

Cover directly with cling film...

...and place in the freezer. This dessert can be prepared up to this step several days, or even several weeks, in advance.

Finish: Remove the mould from the freezer and prepare a baking sheet lined with cling film. Also protect your work surface with greaseproof paper.

Remove the cling film covering the mould.

Peel back the sides of the silicone mould to facilitate the release, which must be done while the log is frozen solid.

Flip everything over onto the work surface and detach the silicone mould. This operation should be done quickly, otherwise the log will soften.

Trim the edges of the log with the tip of a knife to ensure a clean finish, as shown here in the photo.

Then place the log onto the baking sheet lined with cling film.

Place this sheet on a turntable to facilitate the coating operation.

Take the white velvet spray colouring and shake it vigorously until the ball inside rattles. Spray the velvet icing from a distance of 30 to 40cm...

...while rotating the turntable to cover the entire surface. Spray a light veil of velvet icing. I recommend doing several thin coats than a single thick layer that will crack while defrosting.

This is what the result should look like.

Pick up the yule log using two large offset spatulas...

...and transfer onto a serving platter. Our Igloo Christmas yule log with mandarin orange, vanilla and hazelnut is now done. Allow 4 to 5 hours in the fridge to defrost completely.
Enjoy!