Truly, I don’t know where to start this.  Should I tell you how intelligent I am or how stupid I am?  Should I tell you how awful a sinus infection is when you have to take off, land, take off, land again and then repeat it 6 days later with antibiotics that are only sort of working? 

I suppose we will get to all that as this Daring Baker Challenge  continues to unfold . . . Oh, yes, I haven’t finished it but it is unfolding . . . that’s the very vanilla creme brulee in the background.

So the challenge:

This French Yule Log recipe comes from this source and was written by Flore (who I can tell you is extremely talented).  This French Yule Log is not to be confused with last year’s Daring Baker Yule Log, now a very fond remembrance.

Hosting this month are two remarkable Daring Bakers both with gorgeous blogs:  Hilda from SaffronAndBlueberry and Marion from CanalBlog. 

Now you & I both know that the Daring Baker’s are about challenge . . . yes . . . well . . . but don’t you think it was nervy to put up an 18 page recipe for December?  I mean December is designed for holiday madness so do we really need this . . . Well we absolutely need this to keep our skills honed to their sharpest level.  So, here I am at just about the eleventh hour pounding my chocolate stained nails on this keyboard, bringing you yet another

French Yule Log

for Flore’s recipe check out SaffronAndBlueberry,  Marion’s post will be up in the new year.

First, I made this crazy crepe . . . gavottes . . .

Baked in the oven, mine didn’t get all lacy like I think is part of the name but hey it was plenty crunchy - at least it was after I finished baking it in the toaster - and it tasted sweet like a crepe should and seemed better than the alternative of rice crispies that I would have had to make another trip to the store for.

The very vanilla egg nog creme brulee insert!  Yes, Tartelette,  water bath and all.

Then there’s the Hazelnut Dacquoise to line the log

and suppose to be enough to put on the top that becomes the bottom when turned out of the pan.  Haven’t figured out how that’s going to cover it yet.

All that luxurious chocolate mousse, well just a third of it to start with.

Then you lay in and push in the frozen very vanilla egg nog creme brulee and cover it again with another bit of that luxurious chocolate mousse.

And then comes that praline feuillete crisp insert.

I really think this is going to be my favorite part of the entire log.

The part about me being intelligent is when I tell you 18 pages is nothing, just do step one then two then three then four then five then six . . . then you’re done!  Right, and about be being stupid that’s when I lie in my bed bemoaning the idea of making sense of 18 pages and no just getting up and doing step one because that just naturally gets you to step two . . . you get my drip, right.  I’m so much better off when I just let myself get started.

So the little baby is tucked safely in the freezer for it’s coming out party to bring in the new year.  Sorry no final photo tonight.

A big thank you to Karen who gave me the kick I needed to get on with this one and always thank you to our founders Lis and Ivonne who put this snow ball in motion.  To Hilda and Marion, I thank you for all 18 pages and very much for the Yule Log.  Without my buddies, I’d be short one Yule Log to roll in New Year’s eve and 2009.

Updated for Slice

Here’s wishing us all

the bestest and brightest New Year in 2009

And the magic words are:

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.
They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand