Recipe from our chefs – Le Grill Raspberry & Vanilla Yule Log

Serve up an original and tasty dessert this Christmas with this recipe from Le Grill at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. A subtle blend of flavours and textures, here’s everything you need to know to make their famous raspberry and vanilla Yule log:

Ingredients for a Yule log to serve 8:

Vanilla crémeux:

600 g milk
½ vanilla pod
90 g egg yolks
150 g sugar
60 g rice flour
360 g mascarpone
150 g fresh raspberries

Joconde sponge:

270 g ground almonds
270 g icing sugar
135 g egg yolks
270 g eggs
535 g egg whites
320 g sugar
213 g flour

Crumble:

175 g butter
225 g sugar

325 g flour

Recipe:

Joconde sponge:

Add the ground almonds and icing sugar to a mixer, and gradually beat in the whole eggs and egg yolks. Set aside. Next, whip the egg whites and stiffen with the sugar. Gently combine the whipped egg whites into the ground almond mixture and fold in the flour using a spatula. Spread onto a baking tray. Bake 2 x 5 min at 180 °C.
Vanilla crémeux:
Add the vanilla pod and milk to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and rice flour until pale and creamy.
Prepare as you would a crème pâtissière. Add gelatine leaves that have been soaked in cold water. Add the mascarpone and mix. Leave in the fridge to cool.

Crumble:

Combine the softened butter, sugar and flour and mix by hand. Bake for 20 minutes at 150 °C.

Assembly:

Spread a layer of vanilla crémeux onto the sponge. Slice the fresh raspberries in half and place on top (reserve some for decoration) then roll the sponge into a log. Cover the log in the rest of the crémeux and press the crumble over the top. Decorate with the remaining raspberries.