The Creations

Yule logs

Bergeron Apricot

Apricot, chocolate and five-spice log

Miquel Guarro

Pastry Director at the Hofmann School

CHOCOLATE CHOUX PASTRY SPONGE CAKE

Pastry flour
Cocoa powder
PONTHIER Bergeron apricot purée
Mineral water
Butter (82% fat)
Fine salt
Fresh eggs
Chocolate couverture 64% cocoa
Fresh egg whites
Cream of tartar
Sugar
Inverted sugar syrup

115g
25g
120g
45g
85g
1,5 g
175g
55g
200g
0,4g
125g
35g

Sieve the flour together with the cocoa powder into the stand mixer bowl. Bring the PONTHIER Bergeron apricot purée, water, butter and salt to the boil. Fix the flat beater attachment to the stand mixer. At low speed, add the hot liquid mixture to the flour. Add the chocolate once cold. Leave to mix for 5 minutes. Add the blended and strained egg in two parts at intervals. Mix until the mixture is completely smooth and even. Whip the meringue to a consistent texture and fold into the first preparation. Spread out the sponge mixture on a silicone baking mat to 0.8 cm in thickness (use a ruler to help). Oven setting 150°C – 15 minutes – damper closed. Allow to cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge. Cut into rectangles of 17.5x19cm.

ROASTED APRICOT COMPOTE

PONTHIER frozen apricot halves
Thousand flowers honey
Sugar
Pectin NH
Gelatine sheets

1000g
40g
150g
4,5g
4g

Dry mix the sugar with the pectin. Mix together the pectin-sugar and honey with the apricot while cold and leave to age in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Place the resulting mixture on a baking tray. Oven setting 190°C – 40 minutes – damper open. Remove from the oven and dissolve the gelatine sheets into the mixture. Leave to gel in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE, APRICOT AND FIVE-SPICE WHIPPED GANACHE

UHT whipping cream (35% fat)
Inverted sugar syrup
Five-spice blend
Fine salt
Gelatine sheets
Chocolate couverture 64% cocoa
Milk chocolate couverture 40% cocoa
PONTHIER Bergeron apricot purée

190g
10g
3g
0,5g
0,6g
95g
40g
95g

Heat the cream together with the sugar, spices and salt to 80°C. Add the previously hydrated gelatine sheet. Strain over the chocolate and mix with a whisk until emulsified. Add the apricot purée in a trickle while continuing to emulsify everything with the help of a blender. Place in a sealed container and put cling film on the surface of the mixture to prevent skin forming. Leave to rest for 24 hours in the fridge. Whisk the mixture until lightly blanched and thickened. Pour into a piping bag fitted with a number 10 plain nozzle. Measure out 80g of ganache.

COCOA CRUMBLE SHELL

Butter (82% fat)
Pastry flour
Cocoa powder (22-24% fat)
Almond flour
Fine salt
Brown sugar
Dark chocolate couverture 64% cocoa
Almond praline 60%

80g
75g
17g
65g
1,5g
75g
35g
50g

Mix the flours with the cocoa and salt in the Robot Coupe. Knead all the ingredients until you get an even dough. Roll out and leave to rest in the fridge. Push the dough through a mesh sieve to break it up. Spread the dough pieces on a silicone baking mat. Oven settings: dry convection oven - 160°C - 18 minutes - damper closed. Remove from the oven and mix with the couverture and praline. Spread between two 0.8cm thick guides 5.5cm apart. Freeze. Cut into 17.5cm portions. Store in the freezer.

BERGERON APRICOT MOUSSE

PONTHIER Bergeron apricot purée
PONTHIER 100% Alphonso mango purée
Locust bean gum
Gelatine sheets
PONTHIER Bergeron apricot purée
PONTHIER 100% lime purée
Trehalose
Dextrose
Albumin powder
Xanthan gum

245g
20g
2,5g
4,4g
160g
8g
60g
60g
14g
0,2g

Mix the PONTHIER Bergeron apricot purée with the locust bean gum in the Turmix. Cook at 45°C for 5 minutes on speed 6. Add the previously hydrated gelatine sheets. Strain into a bowl and cool to 15°C. Mix the water with the purées, sugars, albumin powder and xanthan gum in a blender. Heat to 60°C and whip to a stiff meringue at a temperature of 26°C. Fold the meringue into the first mixture. Place in a piping bag.

ASSEMBLY and decoration

Roasted apricots
Chocolate holly leaves
Gold leaf
Velvet spray (50% chocolate/50% cocoa butter)

3
2
SQ
SQ

Cut out a 17.5x19cm piece of acetate. Place the sponge cake on top of the acetate and insert it into the mould. Top the sponge cake with 140g of the apricot mousse. Top the mousse with about 140g of the roasted apricot compote. Top the compote with 90g of the whipped ganache. Finish off by placing the crumble shell on top. Freeze. Remove from the mould and apply a thin layer of chocolate velvet spray. Cut off the ends of the log. Decorate.