France me voilà, Part II

26 Dec 2010 Leave a comment

by frenchappetite in France, Travel Tags: , ,

La Bûche de Noël (Yule log)

The “Bûche de Noël” is a cake that is sold end of December. It is part of the Christmas tradition to eat that cake mainly during the “Réveillon” which is the important dinner that the French people do the night of Christmas Eve.

In the picture above, it is a home-made cake with a chocolate cream. In bakeries, you will find the cakes with small Christmas decorations on them. The color of the “Bûche” will vary with the cream that is used.

It is also possible to replace the cake by an ice cream cake, which also has the same shape than a Yule log.

France me voilà (France here I am), Part I

16 Dec 2010 Leave a comment

by frenchappetite in France, Travel

I am currently visiting France for the Christmas holidays, so I will use that occasion to taste a few French pastries. “Few” may not be the correct word, as in two days I already ate two apple turnovers, two chocolate croissants, and one “moelleux au chocolat” (similar to a molten chocolate cake or a chocolate lava cake).

After taking the picture of the chocolate croissant I savored yesterday, I realized that all the ones I tested in San Francisco had only one chocolate bar.

The moelleux au chocolat is one of my favorite desserts when served warm and with the chocolate still melting in the middle of the cake. In this picture the pastry was served with a caramel sauce, but usually it is presented with custard.

When you order a coffee in France, nobody asks you if it is “to go”: we usually sit down to enjoy the beverage. It is served in a small cup, and in addition to the sugar, it is common to get a small treat such as a chocolate or a small biscuit.