Every Christmas, French teacher Celine Pissarra converts her kitchen into a baking workshop to make her iteration of the French delicacy Bûche de Noël, bringing a soft-hearted sentiment to her home.
The exquisite dessert is hand-rolled to resemble a log, ready to be put in the fire pit. This creates a feeling of warmth during dark winter days. Bûche de Noël can be made with different types of ingredients such as chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. The ingredient of choice determines how sweet or savory the final product will be.
In French countries, the Bûche de Noël can be found at a Christmas dinner is generally store-bought; however, the cake is not available in stores in the United States. Despite not having a traditional French Christmas for 13 years, Pissarra has passed the tradition onto her children.
“Since I’ve been away from home for so long, [and] not having Bûche [I’ve had] to learn [how to make] it,” said Pissarra, “This is not even something that in France I would bother making; I would just buy it at the bakery.”
Even though she will be taking an exciting trip to Florida this break, she promised her son the tradition will continue on. The elegant dessert takes many forms, but for Pissarra, Bûche de Noël is a symbol of family and the happiness she feels back home during the holidays.
