Every year, French pastry chef Nina Métayer turns the holiday season into a poetic, edible fairytale. Her creations are always exceptionally delicate, precise, and full of emotion—one of the many reasons her work fascinates me. I’ve always had a soft spot for pastry chefs who balance finesse with imagination, and Nina is, without question, my absolute favorite.

For Christmas 2025, she invites us to rediscover the magic of childhood through two remarkable creations: a spectacular Christmas Ornament Yule Log, sculpted like a precious bauble, and an exquisitely detailed 2025 Advent Calendar, filled with little treasures of chocolate and flavor.

Copyright Nina Métayer

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The 2025 Christmas Ornament Yule Log: A Precious Bauble to Place at the Center of the Table

This year’s centerpiece is not simply a bûche—it’s a dazzling showpiece imagined as a chocolate Christmas ornament decorated by hand. Nina Métayer evokes childhood memories: the scent of the tree, the joy of decorating it as a family, the excitement of placing the most beautiful ornament on a branch—the one that makes everyone’s eyes sparkle.

Copyright Nina Métayer

Inside the milk chocolate sphere, hand-painted with whimsical colors, lies an exquisitely layered entremets that captures the flavors of the festive season. The composition is a symphony of textures and aromas:

• Crunchy sablé made with French traditional flour, muscovado sugar, almond-white chocolate, praline, and hazelnut–almond powders.
• Soft gingerbread-style biscuit, scented with orange and lemon zest, Christmas spices, flower honey, and Charentes-Poitou AOP butter.
• Mandarin confit and passion fruit compote, bright and fragrant.
• Creamy infusion of cassia buds and Madagascar vanilla, warm and comforting.
• Whipped ganache with chestnut honey, adding floral depth and elegance.

Copyright Nina métayer

The decoration is finished with a milk chocolate velvet spray, a delicate cigarette tuile, and touches of gold powder—a perfect balance of festive glamour and refined craftsmanship.

But the experience extends beyond the entremets itself. Beneath the sphere sits a chocolate base meant to be cracked open, revealing hidden delights—dark chocolate fritures and mendiants crafted with 70% cocoa. An invitation to prolong the pleasure and share small bites of joy.

The Christmas Ornament is designed for 10 guests, weighing approximately 2.4 kg (including 1.5 kg of chocolate), and measuring 22 cm in diameter by 24 cm in height.

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Nina Métayer’s 2025 Advent Calendar: A Daily Journey into Flavor

To complement this breathtaking centerpiece, Nina also unveils her 2025 Advent Calendar, imagined once again as an invitation to relive moments of childhood enchantment. Each window contains a miniature treasure designed to awaken the senses and spark anticipation.

Her Advent calendars are renowned for combining artistry and emotion—thoughtful, handcrafted chocolates that transform December into a daily celebration. This year’s edition continues that tradition with an elegant selection of seasonal flavors, delicate textures, and beautifully crafted morsels meant to be savored one by one.

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Christmas with Nina Métayer is always a moment of wonder, and 2025 is no exception. Her creations capture everything I love about her pastry work: delicacy, creativity, and an extraordinary ability to turn emotions into flavors. No other pastry chef makes me feel the magic of the season quite like she does—proof, once again, that Nina Métayer is truly my favorite.