PARIS, Nov 22 — Every year French chefs create their own version of the bûche de Noël, the traditional cake for the holiday season. Let’s take a look at some of these works of art.

A reindeer tale at À la Mère de Famille

The Parisian shop famous for its sweets and chocolates has dreamed up a story of a reindeer named Claude. Santa’s favourite animal seems to be wedged in the chimney of this dessert, and we can see his footprints on the roof. This frozen dessert combines chocolate, vanilla, walnut chips and caramelized pecan nuts with almond meringue and shortbread.

Price: €47 (RM214) for six to eight people

Christophe Michalak’s gourmet cooking range. — Handout via AFP pic

A cooking range by Christophe Michalak

This renowned dessert chef has created a work of art for the Plaza Athénée hotel where he holds the position of pastry chef. The cake is created in the image of a professional cooking range in great detail, including a frying pan, saucepan and cooking pot, tea towel and burners. In terms of flavours, this dessert is made up of a crunchy gianduja layer topped by a soft biscuit layer along with tangerine jam and a milk chocolate mousse with notes of Earl Grey tea.

Price: €125 for six people (limited edition)

Christmas vegetable plot from La Tour d’Argent. — Handout via AFP pic

A Christmas vegetable patch by La Tour d’Argent

This year, Paris’s famous La Tour d’Argent restaurant is offering a trompe-l’oeil design, a sweet concoction which reflects the spirit of the times. Its creation reproduces the kitchen garden in the Yvelines region where the restaurant sources its vegetables. The earth is actually a crumble base made with muscovado sugar. The carrot biscuits are paired with a vanilla cheesecake.

Price: €28 (the dessert will be served on Christmas day only at the Tour d’Argent restaurant)

A gourmet carousel from Le Diane restaurant, at Fouquet’s. — Handout via AFP pic

A carousel by Fouquet’s

The dessert sous-chef at Le Diane restaurant, at the Parisian hotel Fouquet’s, has drawn inspiration from the carousel and wooden horses of his childhood. In this version for adults, the merry-go-round is made of flour-free shortbread. The layers of almond biscuit and coconut mousse are topped with a raspberry heart.

Price: €95 for eight people (limited edition)

A miniature workshop from petit h and Lenôtre. — Handout via AFP pic

The Hermès workshop as designed by Lenôtre

The work of a craftsman! The catering company Lenôtre has teamed up with Pascale Mussard, the artistic director of petit h, the Hermès brand workshop and design lab. The entire contents of a fashion designer’s work surface have been put into this astonishing creation. The leather, bobbins and colour charts all look real. But they are all edible! The dessert is actually a millefeuille made up of yuzu/chocolate mousse and ganache, biscuit, and spiced citrus fruit compote.

Price: €130 for six people (a numbered limited edition)

A plant-themed bûche dessert by Anne-Sophie Pic. — Handout via AFP pic

A plant-themed creation from Anne-Sophie Pic

The bûche de Noël dessert from the only female chef with three Michelin stars demonstrates her interest in nature. The dessert is a trompe-l’oeil vegetable wall. Gastronomes will enjoy the mousse with chocolate chips, biscuit with tarragon and notes of mint and basil.

Price: €65 for six to eight people (available at L’Épicerie Pic in Valence and at the Dame de Pic restaurant in Paris). — AFP-Relaxnews