I try to embark on these columns with an open mind: to engage the spirit of strict scientific neutrality in pursuit of culinary perfection. Yet, this week, as I rolled roulade after roulade, whipped cream softly spilling on to the counter in front of me, I realised that I was not only striving towards perfection, but attempting to recreate a very specific, decades-old sensory memory. The first mention of chocolate roulade in the British Newspaper Archive comes in 1976, but references peak in the late 1990s, when they also seemed to pop up at every special occasion I attended as a greedy teenager, often accompanied by an equally modish fruit coulis.
Strictly speaking, of course, a roulade simply refers to anything rolled – beef olives are roulades, as are involtini and that French cream cheese flavoured with herbs and garlic – but these roulades were always both sweet and rich enough to react badly with the ill-advised glasses of wine taken beforehand. They were also so delicious that we didn’t care. But even if you don’t have the same fond memories, a roulade has several things to recommend it as a festive dessert: it’s best made ahead of time, it’s often gluten-free and it looks great. So embrace the retro this Christmas – it’s a classic for a reason.
