Here's Le Monde's tried-and-tested selection of the year's 15 best Yule logs, having tasted over 140 of them from every corner of France. Prices might be sometimes higher due to inflation, but the taste is always on point.
Le Kiosque à Pâtisseries at the Fleur de Loire hotel in Blois (central France) is part boutique, part tea room and part grocery store, and already one of the most popular destinations for lovers of exquisite cakes. Created in July 2022 by double Michelin-starred chef Christophe Hay, Florence Lesage now runs the counter. Winner of the Mondial des Arts Sucrés (International Confectionary Art Competition), this pastry chef favors uncluttered creations, partly made with fruit grown sustainably in the estate's orchards.
Our opinion: Visually, its beautiful curves, inspired by the hotel's emblem, recall the waves of the river that borders the establishment. In terms of taste, the cream with the exceptional frosted vanilla, placed on a very soft biscuit, delivers an extraordinary flavor. And what can we say about its cloud-light texture? Its delicate interplay with the blackberry and raspberry flavors is of a rare subtlety, only enhanced by a hint of Chambord liqueur with an intense berry flavor. One of our favorites for 2023.
Composition: Raspberry madeleine cookie, blackberry and raspberry compote with Chambord liqueur, frosted vanilla cream.
Price: €68 (serves eight). Le Kiosque à Pâtisseries, 26, Quai Villebois-Mareuil, Blois. Fleurdeloire.com
Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF, Best French Craftsman) pastry chef in 2004, Bruno Montcoudiol opened two stores four years later, in Monistrol-sur-Loire and Saint-Etienne (southeast France), where he offers high-end pastries at very affordable prices. Philippe Bel, meanwhile, also became Meilleur Ouvrier de France of chocolate making in 2004, before setting up his own brand, where he produces all his chocolates, from bean to bar. In September 2022, the two MOFs joined forces to open a shared boutique where their respective products can be tasted.
Our opinion: This is the third year in a row that Montcoudiol and Bel have teamed up to create a festive chocolate cake. In his laboratory, Bel meticulously crafted, from start to finish, this 78% Venezuelan Chuao dark chocolate, known for its rounded and fruity cocoa notes with a hint of acidity. Montcoudiol contributed his pastry-making expertise by creating a harmonious blend of different textures within the dessert, forming a symphony around cocoa with a praline note in the crunchy base. This log represents incredible value for money.
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