Texture is everything. The chocolate roulade and hazelnut garnish give this yule log its crunch, while a chocolate mousse and salted caramel make it unctuous.
Marilou is a dessert person who loves “anything involving caramel, brownies and hazelnuts,” which are all ingredients found in her yule log.
Team vanilla: Ricardo’s raspberry and white chocolate log — made with a melilot ganache — is for you.
While traditional, the Trois fois par jour yule log is perfectly in keeping with Marilou’s refined food brand. The chocolate roulade is garnished with a chocolate-caramel mousse and an unctuous and buttery salted caramel, topped with a chocolate brownie. No surprise, this Christmas log is becoming a new holiday classic and a favourite for households in Quebec.
This roulade cake isn’t just a nostalgic dessert – it represents a milestone in her journey as an entrepreneur. “I never thought I’d learn so much about yule logs!” she exclaimed, laughing. “The entire process from creation to development to commercialization was extremely educational and important to me. I wasn’t professionally trained; I cook on instinct. Throughout the process of creating this dessert, I learned to trust those instincts,” she explained, excited at the thought of being part of families’ holiday meals for a third year in a row.
When it comes to hosting dinner parties, Marilou is the queen, but even she can sometimes lack inspiration. When that happens, she feels compelled to be twice as creative, but one thing that makes it easier is “starting off with something she craves.” Hot-smoked salmon, for example, is something Marilou would eat three times a day, especially Gosselin Smokehouses’ fillet. “There aren’t many foods that are equally suited for breakfast and dinner, and that can be served as a poolside snack or turned into fancy fare for the family over the holidays.
This year, Ricardo is providing us with this dessert consisting of a sweet clover cake, with raspberry jelly and a white chocolate and melilot whipped ganache, topped with a white chocolate cocoa and raspberry crumble and pink chocolate chips.
Healthy sugar-free alternative to the traditional dessert log, the Bomba Rosa is naturally sweetened with date purée (rich in fiber) and contains no dairy or artificial flavours. Madame Labriski, who won our palates with her cookies and muffins, strikes back with this hand-decorated vanilla log, made with raspberry coulis, a dark chocolate ganache and a roasted coconut crunch.
This traditional, big and sweet holiday bread is a staple for many Italian families, and Stefano’s is no exception. Offered in three flavours — classic, chocolate and lemon — the sourdough oven-baked brioche, whose soft dome proudly towers over the dessert table (when in its regular size), or the tree it’s hung in (when in its mini size), is just as tasty on Christmas eve or with a cup of coffee on Christmas day.
Serves: 6–8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45–60 minutes
Total time: 60–75 minutes
Directions
– Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and butter a deep baking dish large enough to place all panettone slices in a single layer, with each slice slightly overlapping (approximately 23 x 13 cm or 9 x 5 in.).
– Place panettone slices on a baking sheet and lightly grill in the oven for about 10 minutes or until they are dry to the touch but still soft. Lay them in buttered baking dish as explained above.
– In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and salt. Add milk and whisk until smooth.
– Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer over panettone slices, allowing excess liquid to cover dish. Garnish with almonds. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. The panettone slices should absorb all the liquid.
– Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Use a sieve to sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
