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Celebrate The Holidays With A Bûche De Noël

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's Christmas week, and all week the WCCO Morning Show is looking at holiday food traditions from around the world. For Christmas Eve, Natalie Nyhus was saying "Joyeux Noël."

The expostulation was in honor of the French, who have a dessert tradition that fashions a cake to look like a yule log. They call it "bûche de Noël."

How the traditional yule log went from being an actual log to a delectable French dessert is another story. The tale goes that the yule log keeps away bad spirits and welcomes the winter solstice.

"In 1945, more or less, the fireplace evaporated in houses and the use of it. So we transformed this yule log to a decoration on the table that turned out to be a dessert like a yule log," explained chef Arnaud de Rambures of Chez Arnaud. "So that how the French do the yule log. I like this tradition more than burning a log. I like eating a cake."

There's no exact recipe for the log, giving French chefs the challenge of finding new ingredients and twists on the classic.

"The fun thing for yule log is that every year for pastry chefs, it's a way to get something new out," Rambures said.

For 2013's log, the chef used a crust of dried French crepe mixed with dark chocolate and praline, layers of red currant, raspberry and blackberry, and meringue.

The dessert certainly proved too delicious for Jamie Yuccas, who couldn't help but eat off a corner during Tuesday morning's segment.

It's too late to order one in time for Christmas, but you can certainly still order one for later, if you'd like. Here is a link to Chez Arnaud's website.

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