Pear, Vanilla and Caramel Yule Log

Ingredients

• 300 g Canned pears in syrup (Drained, reserved)
• 12 feuilles Gelatin sheets (4 sheets for each insert)
• 1 gousse Vanilla bean (Seeds scraped)
• 100 g White sugar (For the caramel)
• 30 ml Liquid glucose (If available, otherwise honey)
• 30 ml Honey (Alternative to glucose)
• 500 ml Heavy cream (200 ml for the caramel, 300 ml for the bavarois)
• 1 pincée Sea salt flakes (For the caramel)
• 4 unités Egg yolks (Fresh)
• 250 ml Whole milk (For the bavarois)
• 80 g Granulated sugar (For the bavarois)
• 250 g All‑purpose flour (For the sweet pastry)
• 125 g Unsalted butter (Cold, diced)
• 70 g Powdered sugar (For the sweet pastry)
• 1 unités Egg (For the sweet pastry)
• 1 bouteille Velvet spray (decorative chocolate) (Optional for finishing)

Instructions

1. Soak the gelatin (pear insert)

   Place 4 gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water and let soak for 5 minutes.

   Time: PT5M

2. Cook the pears in syrup with vanilla

   Put the drained pears with their syrup in a saucepan, add the seeds of the vanilla bean and heat over medium heat until simmering (≈90°C).

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: 90°C

3. Incorporate the squeezed gelatin

   Remove the saucepan from the heat, squeeze the gelatin and add it to the hot mixture, mixing quickly.

   Time: PT2M

4. Mix pear purée and pieces

   Blend half of the pears to obtain a smooth purée, then fold the remaining pear pieces into the purée.

   Time: PT5M

5. Form the pear insert

   Pour the mixture into the insert mold, smooth the surface and place in the freezer for 2 hours to set.

   Time: PT2H

6. Soak the gelatin (caramel insert)

   Place 4 gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.

   Time: PT5M

7. Prepare the caramel

   In a saucepan, heat the sugar, water and glucose (or honey) until a golden caramel forms (≈150°C).

   Time: PT7M

   Temperature: 150°C

8. Add the hot cream and salt

   Off the heat, pour the hot liquid cream (200 ml) and a pinch of fleur de sel into the caramel, mixing quickly.

   Time: PT2M

9. Cool with cold cream

   Add the cold liquid cream (100 ml) to lower the caramel temperature.

   Time: PT2M

10. Enrich with egg yolks and heat to 82°C

    Stir in the 4 egg yolks, return the saucepan to low heat and heat until reaching 82°C while stirring constantly.

    Time: PT5M

    Temperature: 82°C

11. Incorporate the squeezed gelatin

    Remove from heat, let cool slightly then add the squeezed gelatin, mix well.

    Time: PT2M

12. Set the caramel insert

    Pour the caramel into the insert mold, place in the freezer for 2 hours until firmly set.

    Time: PT2H

13. Soak the gelatin (bavaroise)

    Place 4 gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.

    Time: PT5M

14. Infuse vanilla in the milk

    Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean, add them to the whole milk and bring to a boil, then let infuse for 1 hour off the heat.

    Time: PT5M

    Temperature: 100°C

15. Whisk egg yolks and sugar

    In a bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks with 80 g of sugar until the mixture lightens.

    Time: PT5M

16. Temper the hot milk into the egg‑sugar mixture

    Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg‑sugar mixture while whisking constantly.

    Time: PT5M

17. Cook the bavaroise to 75°C

    Return everything to the saucepan and gently heat until reaching 75°C, without boiling.

    Time: PT5M

    Temperature: 75°C

18. Add gelatin and cool

    Transfer the custard to a container, incorporate the squeezed gelatin, then let cool to room temperature (≈10 minutes).

    Time: PT10M

19. Whisk the cold liquid cream

    Whisk 300 ml of very cold liquid cream until soft peaks form.

    Time: PT5M

20. Fold the whipped cream into the bavaroise

    Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled custard until a homogeneous texture is achieved.

    Time: PT5M

21. First freeze of the log mold

    Pour the bavaroise into the log mold halfway, smooth and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm slightly.

    Time: PT20M

22. Prepare the sweet pastry

    Mix flour, powdered sugar, butter and egg until a homogeneous dough forms, roll out and cut to the size of the log mold.

    Time: PT15M

23. Bake the sweet pastry

    Preheat the oven to 180°C, place the dough on a sheet and bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden.

    Time: PT20M

    Temperature: 180°C

24. Unmold the pear insert and place it

    Remove the pear insert from its mold, place it inside the log mold (flat side up).

    Time: PT5M

25. Complete with the remaining bavaroise

    Pour the rest of the bavaroise around the pear insert, smooth the surface.

    Time: PT5M

26. Add the sweet pastry and freeze overnight

    Lay the sweet pastry on top, cover and place in the freezer for at least 12 hours (ideally overnight).

    Time: PT12H

27. Finishing on the day

    Unmold the log, lightly spray with velvet spray for decorative finishing.

    Time: PT5M

28. Defrost before serving

    Transfer the log to the refrigerator and let thaw for at least 7 hours before serving.

    Time: PT7H

Nutrition Facts

Calories

350

Protein

5 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

18 g

Fiber

2 g

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of Canned pears in syrup: Fresh pears, Canned pears without syrup
• Instead of Gelatin sheets: Agar‑agar (different texture)
• Instead of Vanilla bean: Vanilla extract
• Instead of White sugar: Cane sugar
• Instead of Liquid glucose: Honey, Corn syrup
• Instead of Honey: Glucose
• Instead of Heavy cream: 35% fat cream
• Instead of Sea salt flakes: Fine salt
• Instead of Egg yolks: Egg substitute (not recommended)
• Instead of Whole milk: Semi‑skimmed milk
• Instead of Granulated sugar: Powdered sugar
• Instead of All‑purpose flour: T45 wheat flour
• Instead of Unsalted butter: Margarine
• Instead of Powdered sugar: Blended granulated sugar
• Instead of Egg: Apple sauce (egg‑free version)
• Instead of Velvet spray (decorative chocolate): Cocoa powder

Equipment Needed

• Bowl for gelatin
• Saucepan
• Immersion blender or food processor (optional)
• Silicone spatula
• Cooking thermometer
• Silicone insert mold
• Log mold (Meringa Silikomart)
• Baking sheet
• Oven
• Freezer
• Electric whisk
• Rubber spatula (spatula)
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Velvet spray (optional)
• Probe thermometer

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Incorporate gelatin off the heat
• Reach 82°C during the caramel
• Reach 75°C for the bavaroise
• Do not overheat the caramel
• Unmold the pear insert correctly (flat side up)
• Freeze the caramel long enough for it to set

Chef Tips from the Video

• Use a high‑quality vanilla bean for an intense aroma.
• Prefer silicone molds to ease removal of the inserts.
• Lightly dust with powdered sugar before applying the velvet spray to avoid streaks.

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Store the log in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezer: Can be frozen for up to 1 month, well wrapped.

Room temperature: Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Make-Ahead Tips

• Prepare the pear and caramel inserts ahead of time and keep them frozen for up to 2 weeks.
• Bake the sweet pastry ahead, let it cool then freeze.
• Prepare the bavaroise the day before and keep it chilled before final assembly.