December 09, 2005
View From Lodi, CA: Joe Says Make Buche de Noel
for Christmas!
By Joe Guzzardi
Two years ago, I wrote a column suggesting that readers
throw tradition out the window at their annual Christmas
dinner and serve
Key Lime Pie.
Not only is Key Lime Pie easy and foolproof but also
from my experience, guests prefer the tangy taste of key
limes in their pies to apple, sweet potato or any of the
other flavors more commonly found at the Christmas
table.
This year, I have different advice. Take the time and
make the effort to prepare a
Buche de Noel. The
Yule Log, with its three separate steps—icing,
filling and roulade—isn’t something you can whip
together on a whim. But it is not hard to do by any
means.
And my
totally chocolate version—which rejects
mascarpone cheese or disgusting chestnut flavors—is
a treat that your family will be remember for years.
Real Yule logs—as in the kind that come from trees—have
played an important part in French history for
centuries. Until the late 1800s, the common custom was
that when large families gathered together as a group
under one roof, each brought a log for the fire.
With everyone standing around the fireplace, the family
would sing carols before going to midnight mass.
The
Buche de Noel didn’t become popular as a dessert
until the early 20th Century. With meringue
mushrooms adorning the log, the resemblance to a tree
trunk is unmistakable.
With our brief history lesson complete, let’s proceed
without further ado to the kitchen.
Like all experienced bakers, I know the importance of
mise en place. For most that means having all
your ingredients measured, your pans in place and your
oven pre-heated.
In my case, I have one additional step before embarking
on a baking project of this magnitude. My beloved dogs,
Fido and
Sparkle, must be shipped off to doggie day care.
As much as Fido and Sparkle love their kibble,
pastry is what sends them into frenzy. And with no
door on my kitchen…well, you can imagine.
The recipe that follows is based on one used by
Laduree, the world famous
French pastry shop that sells thousands of these
rolled, lip-smacking Yule Logs annually.
Begin with your icing.
This recipe makes a ton of it. I am of the school that
says there is no such thing as too much frosting. If
it’s too much for you, store what’s left over to pour
over vanilla ice cream to eat during the
Rose Bowl.
