Post Date: 19 November 2014
BUCHE DE NOEL
In preparation for the holidays, I made a Buche de Noel last
week. This traditional French Christmas
dessert, dating from the late 19th century, is the culinary successor
to the Yule Log whose burning at the time of the winter solstice dates back to
pre-Christian times. To keep the ancient
tradition alive, one faces a challenge in making the “buche” look like a real
log. This can be accomplished by
covering the rolled cake with a chocolate icing or ganache, cutting off each
end and placing them on the “log” to represent cut off branches, and dragging
fork along it to simulate bark. It is then decorated with such items as
meringue mushrooms or small Christmas figurines.
As you can see, mine looks pretty plain in the photo. On Veterans Day we took a trip to
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and hiked along the C & O Canal. While walking we observed fallen logs with
lichen and ferns around them, which gave me inspiration for decorating the
logs. I will be taking a limited number
of orders for these for delivery a few days before Christmas. BETA TESTING
The first beta test of the fall took place on Saturday,
November 15th. In preparation
for my A.C.E. No Bake Desserts class at Woodson High School on December 4th, we made a Tiramisu. Now a Tiramisu is traditionally made with
alcohol. I use dark rum and orange
liqueur. However, as Fairfax County does
not allow alcoholic beverages in the school, we substituted orange and vanilla
extracts. And the results were excellent.
The recipes given in class will include both alcohol and extracts. In addition, the beta test helped me with
time management for the classroom, as there are some preparations which I will
need to be sure to do ahead of time for the students.
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR PARTICIPATION
This coming Saturday, November 22, 2014, I will be taking
part in a Christmas Bazaar at St. John’s Catholic Church, 6420 Linway Terrace,
McLean, VA. It runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00
PM, in the gym. I will be offering cups
of one of my signature dishes, Chicken Spezzatino (an Italian chicken stew) for
sale, as well as cookies and cakes, with plenty of samples. I will also be taking orders for holiday
desserts and a limited number of Buche de Noel.
If you are in the area, please drop in to say “Hi.”
UPCOMING CLASSES
December 4 - Thursday Evening - No Bake Desserts – Woodson
High
December 6, 13, and 20 - Saturday Mornings - Getting Past
Pasta - Italian Meat, Fish, and Egg Meals – Plum Center
To register for these, or any ACE cooking classes, please go
to:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll
down to the Culinary section
While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses
offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.
Till next time, keep cooking.
Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu
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