Gâteau Basque
A butter-sugar pastry filled with jam or cream.
via Wikipedia: Gâteau Basque · see source
Gâteau Basque (etxeko bixkotxa; 'cake of the house') is a traditional dessert from the Northern Basque Country. It is typically filled with black cherry jam or pastry cream. The version with cream is more common in the Southern Basque Country.
Quick Facts
- Country
- Northern Basque Country
- Course
- Dessert
- Main ingredients
- Almond flour, pastry cream or preserved cherries
Facts from the source article.
Description
Gâteau Basque is made from a butter-sugar wheat flour pastry dough, specifically pâte sablée rather than brisée. The dough is rolled out like a double crust pie and filled with either black cherry jam or almond or vanilla pastry cream. Some argue that only black Xapata cherries native to the Basque Country should be used. The resulting pastry is crumb-textured, chewy, and tender. A Basque cross is marked on top if filled with black cherry jam; a crosshatch pattern is used if filled with pastry cream.
History
The story of Gâteau Basque begins in Cambo-les-Bains, in the Labourd region. It might have started as a bread called bistochak in the 1700s, which fishermen carried to sea. The first person known to sell the cake was Marianne Hirigoyen, also in Cambo, during the early 1800s. Later, Basque people returning from the West Indies added rum to the recipe. Today, Cambo-les-Bains hosts an annual Gâteau Basque Festival. The association Eguzkia, whose name means "sun" in Basque, was created in 1994 to promote high-quality versions of the cake. A museum, Le musée du Gâteau Basque, is located in Sare, Labourd.
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