December is finally here, and with it comes the time to choose your festive menu!

To help you choose the perfect dessert, Poinçon 22 takes a break from dreaming and indulging, and takes a look at the 2021 Yule logs from some of the country's most talented pastry chefs. Whether you're looking to buy or find inspiration for your own log, you're bound to find what you're looking for in our selection of this year's exceptional Yule logs. 

François Perret's Christmas tree log

This year, the pastry chef at the Ritz is presenting a gourmet, very chocolatey log, made up of several parts which, when joined together, form a Christmas tree. The top of this tree log is an individual dessert to be eaten from December 4th at the Ritz Paris Le Comptoir (38 rue Cambon, Paris 1er arrondissement)

Individual : 16€.

6-person log: 105€ (order from 04/12, collection at Ritz Paris Le Comptoir)

Bûche 10 people: 160€ (order from 04/12, collection at Ritz Paris Le Comptoir)

Pre-order on the Ritz Le Comptoir website.

THE "LETTRE AU PÈRE NOËL" LOG BY NINA MÉTAYER

Pastry prodigy Nina Métayer has chosen the theme of a letter to Santa Claus for her 2021 Yule log, and the result is magical. As usual, Nina Métayer and her patisserie Délicatesserie have chosen a very limited edition of just 100 numbered copies. And if you missed it, know that the chef has also designed a log called "Promenade en forêt" that will delight chocolate lovers.

Price: €89

Delicatesserie logs can be ordered directly online. Delivery by courier in Paris and its suburbs, or point of collection.

YANN COUVREUR'S SIGNATURE FAMILY LOG

The pastry chef once again pays tribute to his mascot the fox in this new end-of-year creation. With flavors of mocha, caramel and coffee, Yann Couvreur opts for an original design in several delicious rocks on which a family of foxes lies. And if you prefer chocolate and streusel to mocha and coffee, chef Yann Couvreur has thought of you with his other log, "Renards lovés".

6-person log: €90

Book now and collect from all Yann Couvreur boutiques from December 18.

ADRIEN BOZZOLO'S 2021 YULE LOG

It's with a magnificent trompe l'oeil log that the pastry chef of the Mandarin Oriental hotel integrates this selection of logs for Christmas 2021. This geometric log, with its multiple flavors of yuzu, pear and hazelnut, is so impressively realistic that we'd love to hang it on our Christmas tree.

Individual log: 15€ on site, 8€ takeaway

6-person log: €98

The 6-person log will be available from December 20th to 26th on order 48 hours in advance through the following phone number 01 70 98 74 00.

Discover the individual format from December 1st to 30th on the spot or to take away.

THE "N'OUBLIE PAS MON PETIT SOULIER" LOG BY NICOLAS GUERCIO

The pastry chef at Paris's Hotel Lutetia has taken a gamble on traditional Christmas with a log entitled "N'oublie pas mon petit soulier" ("Don't forget my little shoe"). Calling on his childhood memories, he depicts a mandarin orange placed as a gift in a turnover on Christmas Eve. A delicate combination of two main flavors, mandarin and chocolate, you'll appreciate the mandarin mousse enrobing a chocolate cookie and a chocolate crunch. Add to this a mandarin crème brûlée, dark chocolate mousse and mandarin jelly, and you've got a delicious log to enjoy without moderation.

6-person log: €95

To be ordered before December 22nd on through the following number 01 49 54 46 00

THE "LUMIÈRE" LOG BY PIERRE-JEAN QUINONERO

For his first log as the Burgundy's pastry chef, Pierre-Jean Quinonero offers you a 2021 log that will make you dream both through its beauty and its flavours. Presented as a centrepiece, this candle-shaped log reveals a mixture of hazelnut biscuit, hazelnut praline and hazelnut cream with a clementine confit and, even more surprisingly, a beeswax ganache.

8-person log: €100

Limited edition log, to be ordered directly from the Burgundy website and collected on site.

MICHAEL BARTOCETTI'S 2021 CHRISTMAS LOG

The pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel George V has opted for modernity with a highly graphic log for the end of 2021. This log, which reinterprets the shape of a Christmas tree in an original way, is both chocolatey and spicy, thanks to the incorporation of Jalapeños and Espelette peppers, infused in a Breton fermented milk called Gwell. Thanks to this creation, chef Michael Bartocetti recently won the Fou de Pâtisserie trophy for the best log of the year 2021. A marvel to be tested directly in the hotel.

Log for 8 to 10 people: 125€

CHRISTOPHE APPERT'S "FORÊT MONT-BLANC" LOG

As the name of this log suggests, Maison Angelina 's pastry chef takes the emblematic Mont-Blanc classic and transforms it into a fairytale fir forest to celebrate the approaching festive season. Meringue, chantilly, chestnut and pistachio cream: infinitely gourmet flavors to please everyone.

Log for 8 to 10 people: €89

Available in limited edition. Order now in all Angelina boutiques and on Epicery.com

THE "MILLE ET UNE NUITS" LOG BY STÉPHANE ARRÊTE

Stéphane Arrête 's log is impressive. The pastry chef at the Royal Evian Hotel drew his inspiration for this end-of-year creation from the tales of the Arabian Nights and their oriental culture. Drawing on the same source of inspiration for his tastes, Stéphane Arrête presents a log with aromas of pistachio, orange and cardamom, as well as white chocolate and dried fruit.

Log for 6 to 8 people: €90

Available for pre-order through the following phone number 04 50 26 85 00 until December 15th, collect between December 20th and 24th at the hotel.

ADRIEN SALAVERT'S "BOÎTE AUX LETTRES DU PÈRE NOËL" LOG

The pastry chef of the restaurant Les Belles Perdrix at Château Troplong Mondot is inspired by childhood dreams to propose this Christmas log for 2021. Thus, Adrien Salavert represents a chocolate letter box covered with dried fruits inside in which is placed a "pile of letters", a dessert of gingerbread, caramel and passion fruit. A very nice gourmet trompe l'oeil to fascinate young and old alike.

8-person log: €70

Entremet alone: €45

Limited quantities, on order only through the following phone number 05 57 55 38 28.