My experiments to create a classic French dessert!

So today I was determined to start with my Buche De Noel (Yule Log) project. It was postponed from the 24^th because of my strained back. I am not sure why, but something about this dessert intrigues me. It is a very difficult dessert to tackle. More like a challenging task. Maybe, that's why I am hell bent on getting it right.

Lately, I have been baking a lot. I baked a Christmas cake and gifted it to my family on the 25^th. I made a classic cheesecake, which came out so well that I called it little pieces of heaven. :) My molten lava cake experiment also turned out to be delicious, although I was skeptical about the chocolate oozing out. However, the chocolate did ooze out and it was like seeing a science experiment work!

Cooking is one of my passions and baking is something I can do all day and not get tired of it. Trying out new recipes is one of my favorite pastimes these days. I baked a loaf of French bread and made garlic bread out of it. Talking about bread, I always thought of it as one difficult item to make from scratch. Anyways, the taste of the garlic bread was good and I was happy. The confidence I got made me try rosemary breadsticks too, which also turned out to be tasty.

Back to the Buche De Noel, which is an important part of the French Christmas tradition. I have been reading about this recipe for about a month now. That's another part of my baking process. I like to do a lot of research before actually working on any recipe. This way, I will be prepared for any unforeseen problems and the final product will be edible and tasty. :) So, my Buche de Noel has five main steps to it.

Step 1

Marzipan Mushrooms and decorations

Step 2

Mocha Buttercream

Step 3

Genoise Sheet

Step 4

Cream Filling

Step 5

Assembling the log

The Genoise sheet is the cake, which will be rolled with the cream filling inside and then frosted with mocha butter cream on the outside. The marzipan mushrooms and pinecone decorations will surround the final assembled cake. Today, I completed the first two steps. The mocha butter cream is set and is inside the fridge along with the marzipan. I am making this dessert one step at a time, so I don't injure my back again. Hmm, I can feel a pinch of pain in my neck already. Hope N does not read this. If he does, he is sure to get upset with me for not taking rest.

That reminds me, N Is not well and is down with fever. So, our Christmas feast and dessert is pushed to the 30^th, which gives me more time for assembling the Buche De Noel. Hoping to finish the Genoise Sheet and cream filling tomorrow.

To be continued….

2010 Here I come!

So, here I am back again from a long hiatus. To sum up the events in the last 2 months; I completed my internship successfully. I attended some more interviews but have not received any offers yet. I applied for at least 50 jobs. I watched some interesting movies like ‘Avatar’, ‘Three Idiots’, ‘The Blindside’, ‘Julie and Julia’, ‘Inglorious Basterds’, and ‘Die Hard 1,2 & 3’. My Christmas was just okay due to a strained upper back resulting in excruciating pain throughout. Nevertheless, I still sat through ‘3 Idiots’ because of the amazing movie it is. My Buche De Noel (Yule log dessert) Project is still pending because of my back pain. Our Christmas dinner was postponed to 28-29 of December. I did not attend any of the Christmas family get togethers. In summary, I am still jobless and hoping for a positive New Year to change N’s and my fortune.

I have always been a very positive person, however, lately I am just getting tired of this job hunt. To go trough the entire interview, test, and presentation process and still not receive an offer is very much disappointing and frustrating. However, all these feelings change immediately when I get a call for the next interview. I am hopeful again and I do my best. N keeps telling me that whoever gets to interview after me, for the same job ends up getting the job because I change his/her luck. In fact if I look at the previous interviews I attended and lost, from the feedback received, maybe he could be right. If that is true, what an irony it is!

2009 was not a great year for N and me. There were downfalls, lessons learnt and misfortunes. Here’s hoping that 2010 would bring a new, better chapter in our lives.

I wish my readers and friends a very happy and prosperous New Year. May the year 2010 bring you joy and keep you in good health!

Happy Holidays!