Gateau Basque can be hard to find. A home-style treat, even searching bakeries in a Basque neighborhood is unlikely to turn it up. Luckily, this rustic treasure is not hard to make, just hard to resist.
Dorie Greenspan, Baking Mentor to Many, Introduces Gateau Basque
A chance encounter with an old podcast "Gateau Basque: a Perfect Cake for the Holidays" piqued interest in this unique cake. Dorie Greenspan spoke with awe and glee about discovering a museum to this tart of Basque heritage during her travels in the region. Hearing this piece on NPR just prior to a recent visit to Bakersfield, CA was sufficient to put a trip to the Basque part of town on the agenda. If this unique cake could be found anywhere, certainly this delightful sounding confection could be found in “Woolgrowers’” territory.
Le Pays Basque
For many of us our introduction to the region along the Pyrennees came in French language lessons. Though the Basque region borders both France and Spain, it is most often associated with Spanish cuisine yet it remains a distinct culture, language and political entity.
Like the Alsace region in France, the Basque Country lays claim to more great chefs than any other region of Spain. Names like Juan Mari Arzak and Pedro Subijana helped to create a Spanish haute cuisine through la nueva cocina vasca. Between San Sebastian and Bilbao, two important coastal cities of the region, there are 17 Michelin stars awarded to restaurants that are famous right around the world.
Basque cooking is more broadly known for its simple pintxos and grilled meats. Their fishermen seeking cod traveled great distances before Columbus and seafood is still very important. With a warm, rainy climate, a coastline that has been a historic source of seafood, one might stop at the lovely seafood and be sated. That would be a mistake.
Basque are masters at sheep herding and in fact, it may be the shepherds more than the fisherman to whom US Basque populations owe their strength. The homeland’s interior of rolling hills and high, grassy plateaux, are perfect grazing land for dairy cows and sheep. It is their latxa breed whose milk produces stellar Idiazábal, a lightly smoked farmstead cheese that is the pride of the Basque Country.
In the Basque neighborhood of Bakersfield California a restaurant “Woolgrowers” serves an introduction to the hearty, straightforward fare that comes platter after platter to the family style tables. It was in this neighborhood we were certain to find the gateau Basque.
Bakery Goods or the Kitchen Table
While the Basque bakery in the old part of Bakersfield didn’t have a gateau Basque to buy, the woman behind the counter pointed to the book, bound with a plastic spiral and covered with an old black and white photo. "From the Sheepcamp to the Kitchen" (Kern County Wool Growers Auxiliary Cookbook “The Bo-Peeps”) was on the display case. You know the wives’ clubs cookbooks that often have recipes from “Mrs. John so and so” and just as often start with “Open a can of...”
She said, “You’d probably find a recipe in there. We eat it at home.” It seemed a sort of apology for not having one in the bakery. She was most likely also mystified by what these two Asian strangers were doing asking for such a thing.
Thankfully, NPR came to the rescue and a recipe was available for download.
A story-telling chef shares his Gateau Basque recipe here:Gateau Basque and the Art of War. His is a great story and his innovation (cream AND jelly) is worth a try.
Teresea Barrenechea in her book Cuisines of Spain says: “We Basques live for cooking and eating. I am biased, I know, but I have not found a similar level of passion anywhere I have traveled. I am often asked to describe Basque cuisine, and my standard answer is that it is deeply felt, honors tradition, and respects the natural flavors of the ingredients.”
This rustic tart is so good, so comforting, there is no reason to wait for the holidays. A Basque proverb says, "Gold, women, and linen should be chosen by daylight." If you're picking a woman, check to see she has a little flour on her hands, you'll be rewarded.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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