Pear And Chestnut Yule Log

Introducing the exquisite Pear and Chestnut Cake Roll! A symphony of flavors with a roasted pear insert nestled within a decadent chestnut mousse, all wrapped in a delicate chestnut sponge. This delightful creation is dotted with marron glacés and rests on a buttery chestnut-flavored crust. If you're seeking a unique yule log to elevate your Christmas celebration, look no further - this recipe is a true sensation. Join me in exploring the art of pastry with this delightful and unforgettable creation.

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Pear Insert

Soak gelatin in cold water to soften and drain. With an immersion blender, puree chopped pears along with sugar, water, vanilla and lemon juice. Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar with pectin. Heat up puree to 140ºF/60ºC, add the sugar-pectin mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile sauté the chopped pears in oil, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes on high heat. Add alcohol and flambé; continue to cook until it dries out, and add flambéed pears to the puree and cook for an additional 3 minutes on low heat. Remove from the stove and incorporate soften gelatin; let cool. As shown in the video, the silicone mold can be used to shape out the pear insert. Chilled pear insert could also be piped out straight over the mousse during the montage. If using Silikomart mold, use a 10-inch/25 cm long PVC pipe that has a 1.5-inch/3.75 cm diameter aperture. Overlap 3 acetate cake collars and stick them with packaging tape. Roll it up and line the inside of the PVC tube and seal hermetically one end of the pipe with tape. Fill it up and seal the top and freeze overnight. To remove the frozen pear insert, quickly warm up the tube with a hair dryer and extract the insert from the PVC tube. Unwrap pear cylinder and cut off ends to match the width of the mold; keep frozen until ready to use.

Chestnut Crust

Sugar dough can be used in place of chestnut crust if desired. Roasted chestnuts may be used in place of chestnut flour. In this case, pass roasted chestnuts through a food mill (add 20g extra flour to the recipe is so). Mix softened butter with chestnut and salt. Add the yolk and mix to combine. Add four and starch. Roll out pastry into a 3 mm thick rectangle sheet between 2 parchment papers and freeze. Sandwich pastry between 2 parchment and baking trays and pre-bake at 350ºF/180ºC for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut pastry into desired shapes and according the the bottom of the yule log mold. Finish baking for 15 minutes more until golden brown. Remove from the ove and after 5 minutes, transfer crust onto a flat surface. If using the Silikomart Elegance mold, due to its narrower aperture, the crust could also be added later. If so, made the crus twice larger. Glaze the log and place it over the crust.

Chestnut Sponge

Line a 9X12-inch/23X30 cm baking tray greased and lined with parchment paper (grease parchment as well). In the video I used half of the chestnut sponge recipe. Beat room temp chestnut spread with rum first and the soften butter. Beat on high speed until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until smooth – add the sifted powders. Spread chestnut mixture over the prepared tray. Top with pieces of marron glacé or roasted chestnut. Bake at 350ºF/180ºC for about 20 minutes. Let cool sponge and refrigerate or freeze. Un-mold, trim off edges and cut into desired shapes. Save leftover for another cake or snacks...

Glaze

Make glaze a day ahead. Soak gelatin in cold water to soften and drain. Combine water, glucose and sugar – cook to 217ºF/103ºC. Remove from the heat, add condensed milk and the softened gelatin. Add chocolate and mix – sieve and refrigerate overnight. Rewarm glaze to 100ºF/38ºC prior to use. Remaining glaze can be stored for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator or months in the freezer.

Chestnut Mousse

Soak gelatin in cold water to soften and drain. Meanwhile, in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat heavy cream and vanilla until soft peaks. Transfer whipped cream to a large pastry bowl. In the same mixing bowl, beat room temperature chestnut spread on medium speed. In the mean time, combine soften gelatin and rum and microwave it for about 12 seconds to melt. Stop mixer and add the barely hot gelatin-alcohol mixture to the chestnut spread – mix well. With a whisk, incorporate one-third of the whipped cream into the chestnut mixture. Then add remaining whipped cream and whisk swiftly until homogenized.

Montage

Fill the mold half way with the chestnut mousse and coat sides of the mold with a spatula. Place the frozen pear marmalade insert in (round side down), and gently press it down. Cover pear insert with a thin layer of chestnut mousse and top with the chestnut sponge to stick in. Do likewise with the crust. If the sponge comes off the mold; it's not a big deal; just coat the edges with remaining mousse. Place the log in the freezer overnight. Save leftover mousse to make mushrooms if desired.

Chestnut-Chocolate Truffle Mushrooms

To mimic the mushroom caps, use small half-sphere silicone mold with the remaining chestnut mousse, and freeze. For the stems, use chocolate truffles or small balls made out of marzipan. Glaze half-spheres with dark chocolate enrobage (a mixture of one to one ratio dark chocolate and cocoa butter). Melt cocoa butter first and mix in melted chocolate. Mix with an immersion blender and sieve. Use at 95ºF/35ºC. Keep glazed caps frozen until ready to assemble.

Glazing

De-mold frozen log and leave it in the freezer until ready to glaze. Rewarm glaze to 100ºF/38ºC max. Place frozen cake onto a baking tray lined with plastic wrap and top with a cooling rack. Glaze cake and let it set in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to move to a rectangular plate or cake board and let thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Feel free to decorate the log the way you want using chestnut-truffle mushrooms, candied chestnut pieces. Enjoy!

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