Gateau Basque & the Art of War
Today, the Zen-man is going back to his roots. No.. I’m not talking about root canal or root vegetables but about my first introduction to cooking. Gateau Basque is one of the first thing i learned to make. It’s a relatively simple golden cake with a filling that manage to generate an extraordinary amount of comment and argument. All useless if you ask me because… my recipe is the best.
The Basque region is sandwiched between France and Spain. It is an interesting place known for its beauty, gastronomy and car bombings. I hail from the overdeveloped Atlantic coast, home to resorts, casinos and beautiful beaches and where you hardly ever hear about the separatist movement. The country side though, is home to a rare breed of human beings – the Basque people – quiet fighters dedicated to the independence of what they consider their country.
That’s exactly where my parents, eager to get rid of me, sent me to my first cooking school – i was barely 16. All things considered and in spite of the fact the school was in a town considered a separatists stronghold, i had a great time. What could be better than to be taught by teachers well versed in the Art of War? It’s unfortunate my favorite instructor got arrested midterm during class for hiding explosives in his home basement – he was quickly and quietly replaced and we never heard of him again.
I forgot the reason why we gave his successor the name ‘Sergeant Peppone’, all i remember is that he was very round and very insecure and would keep his recipes in a locked cabinet in the kitchen. My comrades and i were well aware he had the best recipe for Gateau Basque in the whole region for having tried it during a special event. We begged him for the recipe afterward but.. no. He wasn’t willing to share it with us and only gave us the school’s recipe. Pfff..
We didn’t like that, so we put our Art of War training into action and devised a three-steps strategy to extract the Gateau Basque recipe from him. The brats rebellion had started.
Part 1./ Distraction
On the chosen day, the first team was dispatched to create a distraction by asking Sergeant Peppone the keys to the pantry claiming someone had lost his watch in there.
Part 2./ Infiltration
The infiltration team met them there, removed the cabinet’s key from the ring and went back to the kitchen to discretly give the key to the extraction team.
Part 3./ Extraction
The distraction team then called the instructor to the pantry. When the path was cleared, the extraction team got the precious recipe from the cabinet, copied it and put it back in its place. The infiltration team then returned the key the same way.
It went without a hitch.All i can say is that the cooking school i later attended in Paris wasn’t that exciting in comparison.
After so many years i think it’s time for me to make peace with the kitchen Gods – that’s why i will share the precious recipe with you my friends. You lucky brats, you!
-
250 grams Flour
-
125 grams Sugar
-
125 grams Butter
-
25 grams Almond Flour
-
1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract
-
1 Egg
-
1 Pack of Yeast
-
1 Lemon Zest
-
1/2 Orange Zest
For the pastry cream:
- 1/2 liter Milk
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 100 grams Sugar
- 50 grams Flour
- 1 Vanilla Bean
- 1 Tablespoon Rum (optional)
To make the pastry cream:
Scrap the vanilla bean and place in the milk. Bring to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale. Add the flour and whisk until incorporated. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking and place the mixture back on the fire. Cook until almost boiling. Add the rum if using. Remove from the heat and cool.
To make the dough:
In a mixer with the paddle attachment add flour, sugar, butter, yeast, almond flour and lemon and orange zest. Mix until the mixture looks like sand. Add the egg and the almond extract and mix until the dough comes together. Do not overmix. It should look like this.
The dough will be a bit sticky and should be pressed into the pan rather than rolled with a rolling pin. Use a 8 inches cake pan or three 3 inches individual pans.
Traditional Gateau Basque have a filling or either pastry cream or cherry preserve but never both at the same time. As you can see i break tradition by adding a few preserved cherries to the pastry cream. Why? Cuz it’s good duh!
Cover with a round of dough and press the edges to seal. Make a steam vent in the center and a criss-cross pattern. Brush with an egg yolk diluted in a tablespoon of water.
Bake for 30 minutes at 375′F or until golden brown. Let cool completely before eating. Enjoy.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Wow, what a great food + history you have!
Sun Tzu should have mentioned that the art of war is also of “vital importance” to the kitchen
March 26th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Zenman, I’m always doubly excited when you make desserts. Thank you for this perfect recipe– I’ve not seen or heard of Gateau Basque before. Always, always in grams! It doesn’t make any more sense for me to do it any other way
Also, yum! Cherries!
I wonder if both your instructors are still alive…
March 26th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Zen, what a great story–I truly enjoyed reading that!
The Gateau Basque looks incredible–and even more so because the dough is for the most part, pressed in the pan. Rolling out dough scares the you-know-what out of me, hehe. Silly, right? Too many ugly pies to count.
Anyway, it looks fantastic and would be delicious with my morning coffee! Thanks for sharing!
March 26th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Love this story! I always equated food with love, rather than war, but all’s fair, as they say…
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
March 26th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I think I had a flashback while reading your post.
Which reminds me, and I don’t know why, of a really lame joke I thought of the other day. I hadn’t really had a chance to tell anyone, so I gift it to your readers.
Q)Why did the snowman put his head in the oven?
A)The usual reasons.
And for that I apologize. Word of warning, don’t tell this joke aloud… and if you do answer it yourself quickly and laugh riotously at your own punchline. That might make it funny enough for other people to laugh too.
Glad to help.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I have roots in the Basque region. The Beristains, my mom’s family, come from there. I want to visit someday and see all the separatist movement for myself. I may join! LOL
All the trouble you went through to get this recipe was worth it, for us. Now we can just copy it and give you credit for your courageous deed.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:41 am
What a beautiful cake! And with a great background story – the intrigue and the excitement. What more could we ask for? : )
March 26th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Hold on….you are Basque!
1. I love that this is by the weight. Soooo much easier and accurate when baking.
2. I have to let it cool completely before I eat?!?! This will be difficult.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
This is beautiful. I want to make this after I move in a couple of months, to a place with an oven that has a setting other than “broil”. (No matter what the temperature knob says.)
I’ve added you to my blogroll – you make amazing food (put me to shame!) and I think you’re a very good writer.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Your story was a great read! I love gateau basque, your recipe is along the same line as the one I make. I went backpacking in the region with a bunch of friends one summer and I had those at least 3 times a day!!
Re-Michalak: comme toi, il est beau comme une voiture!
March 26th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
That Gateau Basque looks and sounds really good! I have never had Gateau Basque before but now it is on my to try list. Great way to get a recipe!
March 26th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Love this post, zenman! First, we’re obsessed w/ Spain, but really the Basque region is where I fell in love… and HARD. Where are you from exactly? We spent 3 weeks traveling the North of Spain and I’m curious (promise to not stalk your family).
This recipe is to DIE for. I’m going to bookmark it for my husband b/c I know he’ll want to try making it. Thanks for the great post.
Amy @ http://www.weareneverfull.com
March 26th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Oh how I wish for a taste of that cake. One day perhaps I can visit that region.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
That’s quite a story behind the dish, which I have to say, I’d never heard of and absolutely must have right now. It sounds really good and I’ll have to try it soon!
March 27th, 2008 at 12:26 am
I love that anecdote! All’s fair in love & war & recipe extraction!I’ve got to try your recipe. I don’t believe I’ve ever tried Gateau Basque. Your pics look enticing!
March 27th, 2008 at 5:26 am
I am still laughing while reading this witty,witty story of yours,I would love to have this gateau basque and will bake it real soon.Hope you are well xoxo
March 27th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Oh my, I can’t wait to try this one! *makes mental note to go buy the missing ingredients RIGHT AWAY* I’m so glad I found your site. I really enjoyed your tarte bordaloue, it is now in my favorites list!
March 27th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Finally … the mystery of your history is unveiled a little. Cooking school in Basque country at age 16 … too cute.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
What an exciting experience in your life! Lucky brats, indeed. This is thevery recipe?! What makes amazing food even better is a history like this one! Thanks for sharing it with us!
March 27th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
fantastic story and a fantastic sounding recipe–I’m trying this on Saturday!
March 27th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I adore, adore, adore gateau basque. Sorry, I know it should have an accent but am not sure how to do that on my keyboard! I shall hoard this recipe like it’s the king’s ransom.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Foodhuntress,
300 hungry people VS. a few chefs
Sun Tzu would have been proud of us, right!? haha
Thanks Mark, I agree about the grams but home bakers in America aren’t familiar with it. I try to make it easy.
Elle, do try it! It’s not that complicated. Great for breakfast too! haha
Hey ann! love, war, pig songs… everything goes on Zen’s blog! haha
Ryan, i hire you as a lame joke writer for this blog! No there’s no pay. hehe
Ben..don’t blow up my car now. NOOO!
Anali, you could have asked for pictures of me naked, but you didn’t! haha. Lame joke #37 today.
Colleen, i’m not very Basque. I was born that’s all. My parent’s aren’t basque either.
Thanks Lauren and welcome! I love ovens with only a ‘broil’ setting. haha
Tartelette…attend..quelle marque de voiture? Pas une casserole non plus, hein?
Thanks Kevin. Glad you like it!
Amy, i’m was born in Biarritz on the French side. The whole region is beautiful isn’t it? This recipe is the real deal.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Glamah you should. Lots of fantastic foods down there.
Mike, yup it’s a local specialty but really really good.
Cakebrain. All is fair indeed! Thank you!
Azura. Try to serve it in your shop. I think it would be a big success.
Diane, i’m so glad you tried and liked the Tarte Bourdaloue! Thank you. Try this one now, it’s just as good if not..better!
Angelique..it wasn’t that pretty back then. haha. We were wild brats.
B, YES, this is the recipe. I should have posted a picture of my notebook with it. Now give me 500 Francs! haha
Yay Tavolini! Let me know how it goes!
Cakespy! That would qualify for a post on your blog i think!
March 28th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Thank you! You make this sound easy enough for a very (very!) basic baker like me.
Funny story too.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Your criss-cross looks so nice, did you cut it with a knife?
March 29th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Well, look at that. That’s gorgeous.
I envy your French training. You are truly the master of desserts!
I wish I could have lived in France.
March 29th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Oh my Gawd. This looks absolutely amazing! You are from el Pais Basco?! I had no idea! And holy crap about your instructor being carted away for hiding explosives.
March 30th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Those were the days right !…when everything was such a thrill. I can imagine the fun u guys must’ve had hatching that plan. Makes the Gateau Basque so much more special and amazing and above all worth it. That was a really nice experience to share. While reading ur post i actually kinda virtually lived that moment
Now i have to try this, to see how good it is
March 31st, 2008 at 10:42 am
I am SO making this. I have my history of Basque violence…we had a whole bunch of them winter their sheep on our ranch when I was a little terror. Of course, all I did was torment them day and night and scatter their sheep. They were always threatening me with knives and Basque chatter.
Barcelona is like my most favorite city in the world. Boy, did I get an education on politics when I spent an afternoon with a separatist taxi driver.
I KNEW I loved you for some weird reason!
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:54 am
Yes, I love pork and this video is a great dedication to pork. LOL!
Love your story on Gateau Basque too. Thanks for sharing.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
That is a great story! Nice to find your blog.
April 8th, 2008 at 10:16 am
OMG, that looks so amazing! I want to make this so badly, but I’m too lazy to get almond flour. =(
April 20th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I wish when my mom got sick of me she sent me off to cooking school in Basque country, that sounds much more fun than being sent off to chop wood!
May 1st, 2008 at 7:05 am
I just posted about Gateau Basque (I’m from Bilbao but living in the US) and someone directed me to your blog. What a surprise to see your version of it. Very nice! Where did you go to culinary school in the Basque Country? Are you Basque?
December 4th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Nice looking cake!
January 16th, 2011 at 5:32 am
That made me hungry!
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:05 pm
i wanted to let you know I’ve been going to this recipe again and again whenever I need to bring something distinctive to a gathering. It has always been met with rave reviews. Bringing for a family Thanksgiving gathering this year. Can’t wait to hear the the accolades! I give you and your comrades (and your teacher) credit each time. Gotta love food with a story!