Lovely log from France

[Photo by Roy Liu/China Daily Asia]

Alexandre Brusquet, head pastry chef at Pierre in Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental, set himself the challenge of creating a b?che that was light and not overly sweet – although it wasn't on the Christmas menu at home when he was growing up. "I spent Christmases at my grandparents' in N?mes, and in the south of France the tradition on December 24 was a taste of 13 different desserts. There were mandarins, oranges, candied fruits, dates and chocolate truffles, and we would eat a bit of each, which was thought to bring good luck," he reminisces.

Brusquet's "Grand Dessert" for Pierre consists of six items – until December 26, it will also include an intricate b?che de No?l created by the chef. "I'm not a big fan of the traditional buttercream b?che, which I feel is much too heavy after a Christmas dinner," he explains. "Every year, I try to make something that adds a fresh note. Last year it was an orange mousse b?che, but this year I wanted to do something exotic."

Brusquet's unique take on the b?che de No?l is a sponge filled with coconut mousse blended with white chocolate and Malibu liqueur, a passion-fruit meringue dacquoise, a Joconde almond biscuit, lemon marmalade and a centre of caramelised pear. The icing is made with passion fruit and the b?che is covered in dark chocolate "bark", which is made by pouring 72% cocoa chocolate onto a cylinder to give it its shape.

Once the chocolate has hardened, Brusquet uses a metal brush to give it the appearance of a real tree trunk. Finally, for the chocolate mushrooms on the bark, he has used real mushrooms for the moulds. It's supremely artistic, sophisticated and a delicious way to celebrate Christmas.