Apricot, chocolate and five-spice yule log

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.