Recipes
In an electric mixer fitted with a flat beater, mix the flour, the salt and the butter until sandy, then add the rest of the ingredients. Knead into a dough until there is no trace of flour left, wrap in cling film. Keep in the fridge until use (minimum 2 hours). once the almond sablée dough is cold, roll out to 3 mm thickness. cut out into a 50 cm x 8 cm rectangle. bake at 160 °c / 320 °F for about 15 minutes in a convection oven. allow to cool, then brush each side of the almond sablée dough strip with milk couverture chocolate. leave to crystallize in the fridge.
Sift the icing sugar with the almond powder. In an electric mixer fitted with a flat beater, whisk the whites with the cream of tartar andhalfthesugar,thenaddtherestofthesugartostiffen. gently addthepowdersintothewhites. Spread1200gdacquoiseinto a Flexipat® and sprinkle with ground almonds. Sprinkle with icing sugar, repeat five minutes later, bake at 170 °c / 338 °F in a convection oven or at 210 °c / 410 °F in a deck oven for approx. 20 minutes. allow to cool.
Melt the hydrated and drained gelatin in a micro-wave oven then add it to the chesnut purée. With an electric beater fitted with a whisk, whisk the heavy cream* with the scraped vanilla pod and the sugar until the cream is light and airy. Delicately add the light and airy cream to the chesnut purée. In a mini Flexipan® mold (christmas log insert) arrange 200g chestnut flakes, then top with 425g chestnut and vanilla chantilly cream. Freeze.
*whipped Elle & Vire Excellence Whipping Cream
In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites with the sugar, once the mixture is whisked into peaks, gently add the icing sugar. With a pastry bag fitted with a n°12 tip, pipe balls 2.5 cm in diameter on an acetate sheet, sprinkle with icing sugar and bake 45 minutes in a convection oven at 110 °c / 230 °F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
With an electric beater fitted with a whisk, whisk the chestnut paste and the creamed butter until smooth and regular.
Bring the orange purée to a boil. add the orange concentré and the sugar already mixed with pectin. cook until a jam texture. cool it down.
Turn out the chestnut flakes chantilly insert placing the Yule log mold under very hot water. Place the chestnut flakes chantilly insert on a strip of almond dacquoise with some orange confit on top of it. then, place on a strip of almond sablée dough “brushed with milk chocolate couverture”. With a pastry bag, pipe the chestnut vermicelli cream on the entire surface and the sides of the chestnut flakes chantilly insert.
Cut the logs into the desired size then place them on Yule log card board. Place the meringues on the sides and to cap the log. add a few chocolate holly leaves. add a candied chestnut and a piece of candied orange. add a few gold leaf tips. top with your own chocolate logo.
Awarded “Meilleur Ouvrier de France Pâtissier 2000” [Best Pastry Craftsman of France in 2000], Stéphane Glacier is one of the world’s leading ambassadors for the art of French pastry. After teaching in the most prestigious schools, he launched his own consultancy, founded a publishing house and opened a pâtisserie as well as a school for professionals and amateurs in the town of Colombes, located on the outskirts of Paris. Let’s meet him.
