Bûche de Noël, meaning Yule log, is a Christmas favorite in France. Generally prepared, presented, and garnished to look like a log, Bûche de Noël is baked in a large, shallow Swiss roll pan, frosted, rolled to form a cylinder, and frosted again on the outside. Bûche 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. These cakes are also decorated with powdered sugar to resemble snow, tree branches, fresh berries, and mushrooms made of meringue. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Bûche de Noël for dessert! Here is a simple pleasure so you can properly enjoy a festive holiday feast just like the French do.

Total Time to Make: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Genoise cake batter:
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• Chocolate buttercream:
• 7 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons butter, softened

Preparation:

Bûche de Noël:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch by 15-inch baking pan with a 1-inch lip (jelly-roll pan) and line it with parchment paper. Butter the parchment or spray it with cooking spray. Set the pan aside.
2. Beat the eggs for 5 minutes, until they turn thick and foamy. Add the sugar, orange liqueur, orange zest, vanilla extract, and salt to the eggs and continue beating for 2 minutes. Fold the flour, a few tablespoons at a time, into the whipped egg mixture. Once the flour is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. Do not overmix or the cake will bake up into a tough texture.
3. Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan. There will be peaks of batter; gently smooth over them, but do not press the batter down. Bake the cake for 10 minutes, until the cake is just set. Invert the baked cake onto a clean, dry kitchen towel and peel off the parchment paper. Wait 3 minutes and then gently roll the cake, still in the towel, starting at the 10-inch end. Allow it to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream:

1. In a clean, completely dry bowl beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Set them aside for a moment.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Allow it boil until it has reduced into slightly thickened syrup. Begin beating the egg whites on high speed again, and pour the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a slow, steady stream. Pour the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue beating them until the meringue has cooled completely, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the softened butter to the meringue, 2 tablespoons at a time, while beating on high speed, until all of the butter is incorporated into the frosting. If the buttercream becomes runny at any time in this process, refrigerate the meringue until it has chilled through and continue the process of beating the butter into the meringue.

Assembling the Buche de Noel:

1. Unroll the cake and set aside the towel. Evenly spread 2 cups (or desired amount) of the chocolate buttercream on the inside of the cake and following its natural curve, gently form it into a cake roll. Cut off the ends of the cake roll on the diagonal and reattach them in the center of the cake with a bit of buttercream to fashion a “branch” coming off the main Yule log.
2. Spread the exterior of the Bûche de Noël with enough chocolate buttercream to cover it and gently pull a butter knife or small, offset spatula through the frosting to give the appearance of rough tree bark. Add a Pere Noel figure and meringue mushrooms to complete the festive look.
3. Chill the cake before serving it, and refrigerate any leftovers.

**This makes 14 servings.

Try the Cassoulet – A French Favorite!

Cassoulet, a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole, originated in the south of France and continues to be the most well-known dishes from the region. Although there are a number of cassoulet versions, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. This dish takes time to make, but is well worth the wait once you take your first bite. The below recipe includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse. Bon appétit!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 fresh ham hocks
• 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 ounces fresh pork skin with 1/4 inch of fat attached
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds dried Tarbais or cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
• 2 ounces salt pork, skin removed
• 1/3 cup duck fat (see Note)
• 3 small carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 medium onions, diced
• One 5-ounce piece of pancetta
• One 5-ounce piece of prosciutto
• 1 head of garlic, unpeeled, plus 4 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 large plum tomato, chopped
• 2 quarts plus two cups chicken broth
• Bouquet garni: 4 parsley sprigs, 3 small celery ribs, 2 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf, tied with string
• 6 duck confit legs (see Note)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound French-style fresh pork sausages, such as saucisses de Toulouse, pricked with a fork
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

STEPS:

1. Put the ham hocks, pork shoulder cubes and skin in a large dish; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In a bowl, cover the beans with 3 inches of water and soak overnight.
2. The next day, in a medium saucepan, cover the salt pork and the seasoned skin with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderate heat until the skin is supple, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool. Refrigerate the salt pork. Cut the pork skin into 5 long pieces, roll each piece into a bundle and tie with string.
3. Dry the ham hocks and pork shoulder cubes with a paper towel. In a very large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the duck fat. Add half of the pork cubes and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned all over; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork cubes. Add the ham hocks to the casserole and brown them lightly. Add the carrots and onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, about 7 minutes. Add the pancetta and brown it lightly. Add the prosciutto, the head of garlic and the tomato and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2 quarts of the broth, the bouquet garni, pork skin bundles and the browned pork and its juices and bring to a boil. Cover the casserole and gently simmer the ragout over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Drain the beans. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with water and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer the beans for 3 minutes, then drain. Add the beans to the ragout and simmer until the beans are just tender, about 2 hours. Let the ragout cool, then refrigerate overnight.
5. Remove as much of the solidified fat as you can from the surface of the ragout; reserve 1/4 cup of the fat. Let the ragout return to room temperature. Pick out the ham hocks, pancetta and prosciutto. Cut the meats into bite-size pieces; discard the bones, skin and gristle. Pick out the pork skin bundles and the head of garlic and reserve. Discard the bouquet garni.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring the ragout to a simmer. Cut the blanched salt pork into small pieces. Squeeze the cooked garlic cloves into a food processor. Add the salt pork and the raw garlic cloves and process to a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the ragout and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in all of the cooked and cured meats.
7. Meanwhile, arrange the duck confit legs in a baking dish and roast just until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the bones in large pieces. Cut the skin into strips. Discard the bones.
8. Turn the oven down to 325°. Untie and unroll the pork skin bundles. Line the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart earthenware casserole with the pork skin, fat side down. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer half of the ragout to the earthenware casserole. Top with the duck confit in an even layer, then cover with the rest of the ragout. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth to the cooking liquid in the cast-iron casserole and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the liquid over the ragout and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved skimmed fat. Bake the cassoulet for 1 1/2 hours.
9. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Add the sausages and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over. Let cool, then cut the sausages into 3-inch pieces.
10. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°. Gently stir in the skin that has formed on the cassoulet. Nestle in the sausages and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved fat. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour longer, until it is richly browned on the surface. Transfer to a cloth-lined rack and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

***Note that steps 1-6 can be prepared up to 3 days before the rest. Let cool, then refrigerate. Bring the ragout and beans to room temperature before proceeding***

There are many different recipes and ingredients you can follow and include. This is a dish you can add your unique taste to. However, this specific recipe is from http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/toulouse-style-cassoulet

Pissaladière is the perfect dinner to enjoy on a cold winter night while curled up by the fireplace. This Provencal rectangle onion tart dish is most popular in southern France including towns like Nice, Marseilles, and the Var district. This pizza-like bread dough is thicker than most and the toppings don’t include your typical cheese and tomatoes, but rather onions, olives, garlic and anchovies.

Remember to pay close attention to the onions when making this dish. A burned onion can give the whole recipe a bitter flavor.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons demerara sugar (raw sugar)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 20 anchovy fillets
• 20 black olives in oil, drained
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Preparation:

As reported on http://frenchfood.about.com/od/appetizershorsdoeuvres/r/pissaladiere.htm

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and demerara sugar and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions become tender and start to turn golden. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir the mixture and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted, very soft, and are a medium gold throughout.

Add the vinegar during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from the onions from the oven and set them aside while preparing the pastry for the pissaladiere until they reach room temperature, and then serve.

Raise the oven temperature to 425F. Press the thawed pastry into a rectangle on a 12-inch by 18-inch baking sheet, building it up a bit around the edges. Spread the pastry with the onion confit, leaving 1 inch of dough uncovered around the edges of the pastry. Arrange the anchovy filets and olives on the pissaladière. Bake it for 15 to 25 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up, turned golden, and crisped.

Remove the pissaladière from the oven and sprinkle the olive oil and fresh thyme across the hot surface of the tart. Cut it into rectangles and serve very warm or at room temperature.

Makes 10 servings

Try the Prized Cuisine of Burgundy

Bœuf Bourguignon is one of Burgundy’s most prized recipes. This French stew prepared with beef braised in red wine and beef broth is generally flavored with garlic and onions. The secret to its delicious taste is in the marinade though. For best results let your beef marinate in the fridge overnight or at least for three hours if you’re in a time crunch.

Here are all the ingredients and steps to take when preparing a dish everyone in the family will enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bottle (750 ml) of Pinot Noir
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 strips bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound white mushrooms, quartered

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, cover the beef with the wine. Add the onions, carrots, thyme, bay leaves and herbes de Provence, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, drain the meat, vegetables and herbs, reserving the marinade. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the bacon and cook over low heat until the bacon is browned and has rendered some fat, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate.
3. Add the meat to the casserole in 3 batches and brown it well over moderate heat, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the meat to a platter.
4. Add the onions and carrots to the casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the reserved marinade. Add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Return the bacon and meat to the casserole along with any accumulated juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
5. Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated and they have started to brown, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderate heat until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Stir the mushrooms into the stew, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Best served with buttered noodles or broiled potatoes.

Bon appétit!

A Languedoc Favorite

Aigo boulido is a popular dish in all regions of France, but specifically Languedoc. Known as “boiled water”, this soup contains garlic, herbs, and water. Many believe it to be the Provencal cure for anything that ails you, which is why many people eat it during the cooler fall and winter months when cold and flu season is in full swing. Avoid getting sick and make a great meal. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 6 sage leaves
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• Garlic croutons:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 6 slices baguette
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, bring the water, 10 cloves garlic, sage, bay leaf, salt and pepper to a simmer. Continue simmering the broth until the garlic is softened and cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the burner and strain the garlic and herbs from the water. Return the water to the pan.

Remove the bay leaf and sage leaves from the garlic and discard. Using a fork, smash the garlic into a paste and return it to the pan. Bring the soup to just under a simmer and rapidly stir in the beaten eggs yolks. Continue stirring for 30 seconds, until the eggs are set into thin strands.

In medium saucepan over low heat, sauté garlic in the oil and butter until tender – about 7-10 minutes total. Transfer the garlic to a plate. Place baguette slices into hot oil and sauté both sides until they are golden brown.

Place each finished crouton into an ovenproof bowl, top with the soup, and garnish with a bit of Gruyere cheese. Melt the cheese under a broiler, if desired.

This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings.