From Ruth Van Waerebeek’s “Everbody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook.” Ruth recommends this as an accompaniment to her Christmas Turkey. I make this once a year for Thanksgiving. Note: Prepare several hours prior to, if not the day before, serving.
This recipe would make a lovley side dish to your Christmas of Thanksgiving turkey. In fact the recipe source (‘Good Food’ magazine December 2005) suggests to serve this at Christmas. It serves 8 as a side dish together with another side dish. However, it can also be served as a main dish as I did. It will serve 3 then. We had this as a main course together with ‘wild rice mix’ (longgrain rice with wild rice pieces in it). Lovely!
A traditional dessert served during the Christmas holidays in France, Belgium, Quebec, Lebanon and several other Christian-populated francophone countries as well as in the UK. As the name indicates, the cake is generally prepared, presented, and garnished so as to look like a log ready for the fire. The traditional bûche is made from a Génoise or other sponge cake, generally baked in a large, shallow Swiss roll pan, frosted, rolled to form a cylinder, and frosted again on the outside. The most common combination is a basic yellow sponge cake, frosted and filled with chocolate buttercream; however, many variations on the traditional recipe exist, possibly including chocolate cakes, ganache and espresso or otherwise-flavored frostings and fillings. Bûches are often served with a portion of one end of the cake cut off and set on top of the cake or protruding from its side to resemble a chopped off branch, and bark-like texture is often produced in the buttercream for further realism. These cakes are often decorated with powdered sugar to resemble snow, tree branches, fresh berries, and mushrooms made of meringue.
Picnic like the French with a perfectly ripe Camembert, some garlicky sausage and a fresh, crusty baguette – eh voila! No need to go outside for a picnic, if the weather is inclement; enjoy a picnic in your kitchen at the kitchen table, or use the cheese platter as a centrepiece for parties, fêtes, cocktails or social gatherings! Lay a tartan rug on the table and use wicker baskets or a hamper if you wish………..be as “rustique” or as “chic” as you want to be! Great for Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, as well as for a summer picnics of course!
This is a nice gourmet style cooke nice for a dinner party or holiday. it has a delicate hint of orange, but you can leave the orange out if you prefer a plain chocolate taste
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