Holiday
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If ever there was a time of year
to indulge in desserts, it’s now. Cookies, cakes, pies – OK, now our sweet tooth is aching just thinking about all the sugary possibilities that accompany this festive season. Rather than fantasize, though, we figured we’d reach out to a few of our local bakers to see what they’re whipping up for the holidays. Read on for some tasty treats, complete with recipes so you can try your hand at making your own holidays a touch sweeter this year.
room... B Y MATTHEW LARDIE | PHOTOG RAPHY B Y J OHN M I C H A EL S I M PS O N
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Bûche de Noël
t’s safe to say that Bonnie Lau, with her more than 18 years of experience as a pastry chef, knows how to whip up a tasty holiday treat or two. She started her bakery, Miel Bon Bons, in Carrboro in 2008 before moving to a location on University Drive in 2013. In 2019, Bonnie opened up in a small storefront with an equally modestsized garden patio adjacent to Brightleaf Square, and she’s been a delicious part of the downtown food scene ever since. Bonnie offers her customers exquisitely designed desserts ranging from cakes and cookies to pies, macarons and, of course, a wide variety of chocolates. The sweets at Miel Bon Bons look as though they lept off the dessert tray at the Ritz Paris, and Bonnie has created elaborate macaron towers and stunning trays of bonbons for weddings and events across our area. One holiday treat that Bonnie particularly treasures is the gorgeous bûche de Noël, or Yule log. The dessert likely originated in France, but it has since been popularized across central Europe, Canada and the United States. A fluffy chocolate sponge cake and whipped cream filling are transformed into a roulade resembling a fallen woodland log, replete with “bark” made from a luxurious chocolate ganache. Bonnie’s version includes rich mascarpone cheese and chestnut paste (or cooked chestnuts) in the filling for an even more decadent touch. This cake takes a bit of effort, but the end results are well worth it for a cake that is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. (Note: You’ll need a kitchen scale for this recipe.)
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durhammag.com
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december 2021 / january 2022