Happy Holidays to everyone! Here's a great last minute gift or fun thing to pick up to serve for Christamas Eve dessert tonight: a Bûche de Noël!
We're lucky here in New York there are several bakeries that make these. I am sure every city has some options. Payard's bakery is open until 5 pm tonight and they have a beautiful "Bagatelle" bûche with chestnut sponge cake and chestnut mousse. They have 4 different sizes that run between $26 and $65. Citarella is open until 9 pm tonight, but I'm sure they'll run out way before that. They have 2 sizes, and I believe the smaller one is $19. Or, if it's too late for this year; next year you can plan ahead and order one from Williams Sonoma (shown above). It is no longer available this year, but they have one every year.
There's a nice article in the New York Times' Paris Journal about the French traditions of Champagne and Bûche de Noël for the holiday.
Cheers and Happy Christmas Eve!