I may have mentioned it once or twice before but a while back Mr NQN had a DNA test done to try and trace his ancestry. He’s rather dark haired and olive skinned for a half Finn so we just assumed that his father’s side had some Aboriginal blood in it. We had somehow, blindingly, completely dismissed the fact that when he has long hair he looks just like Rafael Nadal and when we got the results back, we found out that he has a significant amount of Basque heritage in him. It made sense of course and we were literally laughing at how silly we’d been. His father’s mother had always told him that they were of German royal blood and oddly enough there was very little German heritage. I guess the genes don’t lie and neither do the looks.
When Myriam invited Mr NQN and I over for dinner she told us that she and her fiance Jean would be making a Basque themed dinner as Jean is also from Basque. I volunteered to make dessert and I searched for a typical Basque style dessert. Gateau Basque came up repeatedly and you can’t really deny the validity of a cake named after the region. I had to make it. It was a cake that was made with a thick tart dough filled with creme patissiere and cherries and it had a lot of history and pride attached to it.
Dorie Greenspan visited the Basque region and wrote about the Gateau Basque Museum. She asked the question “…wouldn’t you want to go to a region that nurtures a museum dedicated to one particular kind of cake? And wouldn’t you be willing to travel about 8 hours to get there?” And I found myself nodding “Of course!”. She wrote about them only using one type of jam made in nearby Itxassou (which I had virtually no hope of getting at this late stage) and that the way to distinguish a cake made filled with cream patissiere and one with the jam was that the jam one was decorated with the Basque cross. The recipe I found has a bit of both and since I would probably mess up a cross I decided just to do a pattern with a fork instead rather than risk insulting the Basque people with a butchered up cross.
The recipe is interesting, the creme patissiere filling is very thick and floury – in fact it has more flour than I’ve used in a custard so I added more milk. This resulted in more custard than was needed and contributed to the overflow. The tart crust is also very wet so it needs to be rolled between two pieces of parchment and rested for a while so that it firms up. Once cooked, it tastes similar to a rich almond biscuit and is quite indulgent with the amount of butter and eggy, creamy custard inside. It’s a cake best served in smaller slices (and you know me, I sliced it up big) and also benefits from being refrigerated for a few hours after it is baked so that the custard firms up a little.
Back to the dinner party though, Myriam and Jean had themed the dinner in the style of the Fêtes de Bayonne, a festival in the last weekend in July and the first weekend in August in Bayonne in the Basque region of the South West of France. In this festival, people dress in white with a red kerchief, scarf or sash. A mythical King Leon appears on the Town Hall balcony and throws the symbolic keys of the city into the crowd. There’s also running of the young bulls and bull fights as well as music and festivities.
Everything at their dinner was themed in red and white (phew, I think the red cherries and white filling may have qualified!) and we ate gorgeous things such as tomato tarte tatin, garlic prawns, gazpacho and roasted capsicum on toast among other delicious items.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have a local festival that you look forward to?
Gateau Basque
Recipe from Daniel Boulud
Dough
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon oil (see Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon almond oil
- 1 cup almond flour
Filling
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup brandied cherries, drained
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk, for brushing
Directions
1. Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks to the mixing bowl along with the whole eggs, lemon oil and almond oil. Beat until they are thoroughly incorporated. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture and the almond flour.
2. Scrape the pastry dough out onto a work surface and form it into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over moderate heat with the vanilla seeds. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the sugar and flour. Whisk the hot milk into the cornstarch mixture, then pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is bubbling and very thick, about 5 minutes (I added another 3/4 cup of milk as it seemed too thick but you may want to try the original recipe and see how it turns out). Add the egg yolks and the whole eggs and simmer, whisking, for 3 minutes longer. Scrape the pastry cream into a large, heatproof bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Let the pastry cream cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 160°C/350°F. Roll out the first disk of dough between two sheets of parchment to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut out a 12-inch round. Place it with the parchment on the bottom in the refrigerator until firm, about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, roll the second disk out to a 1/4-inch thickness, and cut out a second 12-inch round. Transfer it to a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Lightly press the dough onto the bottom and up the side of the pan. Trim off the excess and refrigerate the tart shell until firm, about 10 minutes. The excess dough can be made into cookies.
OK this is too full, trust me…
6. Spread the pastry cream in the tart shell in an even layer and dot with the brandied cherries. Cover the tart with the first round of dough and press gently to seal the edges. Trim off any excess. Brush the tart with the egg wash. Using a fork or skewer, lightly score the top of the tart in a diamond or swirl pattern.
7. Set the tart on a baking sheet and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the tart and transfer it to the upper third of the oven. Bake the tart for about 40 minutes longer, until golden brown on top. Transfer the tart to a large wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.
The tart dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. The pastry cream can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Bring the dough and pastry cream to room temperature before using.
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59 Comments | Add your own
I’m going to the Gilroy Garlic Festival this year and I am so excited. The tart sounds heavenly by the way.
What an interesting theme for a dinner party! Back in Finland Midsummer festivals were always the highlight of the summer
I’m so intrigued by Basque cooking, Lorraine, but have never actually eaten it. I shall have to remedy that.
What a lovely dinner party. 
I’m heading a Scottish festival shortly and can’t wait!!! 
Oh, yum! Looks amazing!!
That’s not something that I’d usually go for, but I think I’d willingly have a nice slice of that.
How interesting to research ones ancestry. x
What gorgeous looking food! That gâteau basque is beautiful! I love your choice of filling. Mighty scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
I ate this cake in France and I liked this very much. Now I have recipe from you and I will bake this and show on my blog. It looks wonderfull.
I have never seen anything like that!
What a lovely dinner party! This cake is so elegant, and it has one of my all-time favorite fruits — cherries! (I’m so excited that cherries are almost in season here!
) Every year I look forward to the local Greek Fest…the spanikopita is amazing.
I want to live at Myriams! The whole night looks yummy, as does your gateau! mmmm
Your gateau is so pretty – and it looks delicious! Custard and fruit – you can’t go wrong.
The tart looks lovely. Being of Italian heritage our family dont need to use a festival as an excuse to gather and eat well- this happens almost every week.
wow that looks so good!!!!!
Every year I look forward to the multicultural food festival – where I get to eat my weight in awesome food from all around the country!
Fabulous – love the look of that tomato tarte tatin! Well done on the tart – the pastry looks fiddly, but ever so crisp and tender..
Oh my gosh, everything looks so scrumptious!! I would have loved to sit at that table!!
I always look forward to Zwolle Culinair, it’s a local event that usually takes place in October where a lot of restaurants serve tiny versions of their most popular meals for a fraction of the normal costs. My mom and I always spend an afternoon/evening there to try out all sorts of delicious dishes!
i love anything with custard or the slightest semblance of it… i want, i want
I am such a fan of cherries in all forms – that sounds delightful.
We have a slightly lame but fabulous Oyster Bay Art and Craft Festival that I’ve always enjoyed – devonshire tea, spinners and knitters, fairy floss and home baked goodies plus local art and craft stalls. Good fun – and it always falls on my birthday weekend!
I don’t know if you have heard of Navratri, its a dance festival celebrated in Gujarat, India, where in girls and boys wear lovely costumes and dance all night long to regional folk songs. Dance is not like that in some dance club, its a traditional dance in huge circles and its beautiful, the best thing is as the night passes the rythm increases and dance steps fasten … this goes on to a point that only the most zealous and fast dancers can keep up. Its the festival whole world awaits, last year i was in india and saw many many americans dressed traditionally and dancing their hearts out, also learnt that they all had came to india esp for this event. I always look forward to navratri.
Sounds like a fun idea for a party! Your tart sounds like the perfect addition. xoxo Mum
O lala with this Gateau! I know that it deserves a big bite
It is best served in smaller slices….or a bit bigger for me, LOL!
Have a great week!
Gera
Lovely~ I like the idea of a Basque theme dinner!
Lorraine, what a lovely tart, mmmmm just love the combination of flavours but with your talent you should have tried to etch the cross, I’m sure you would have succeeded.
I always look forward to the Aroma coffee festival at the Rocks. It’s a great day, the last couple of years the weather has been perfect resulting in huge crowds. I just love the atmosphere and the coffee of course, Sydney…. ” I love this city!”
Wow, great theme for a dinner partry. All the food looks fabulous! I LOVE the presentation of the gazpacho!
The gateau basque too. I will have to try this recipe as my boyfriend ADORES cherries.
Beautiful food, Lorraine! I love the sound of brandied cherries in the filling for the gateau basque.
The LA Street Food Fest was fun…extremely crowded..but lots of fun!
Where did the red and white striped paper cups come from?
OMG, as always, I should not read your blog when I am stuck in the house and unable to shop for ingredients.
I NEED that tart. And garlic prawns.
this looks great lorraine
Oh thats interesting…and the food looks amazing! I might try and make this one soon!
My family just did some research on us and I’m related to Robert The Bruce….not a great thing to be proud of I guess…. maybe I should make some scottish cuisine!
So good! Lucky for me it is almost lunch time. I love all festive seasons. because it means more food!
Sounds like a delicious dinner, and your gateau Basque is beautiful! I’m looking forward to Memorial Day which is in a week and a half. Can’t wait to fire up the grill!
Thanks for the recipe, Lorraine. When I was staying in France with my brother last year, we just had to try the Basque tart at every patisserie we went past!
That does look yummy.
Your gateau looks delicious! What a great idea to celebrate Mr. NQN’s “new” heritage with a Basque themed meal!
We have strawberry festivals around here:)
Well, you learn something new every day! I had no idea a DNA test could tell you something like that…
Love the oozy custard shot – will we be seeign more Basque desserts from you in the future?
You know my site should be called ‘Tarts ‘R’ Us’ right?? This looks sensational!
what a nice dinner party
WoW, the tart looks gorgeous! I’ve never made a tart with a cover before (or is that a pie?) – the filling would probably leak out of mine
Yum, love a good creme patissiere, I’d eat it on toast haha. As for festivals, the Chilli Festival here in Perth is popular – any excuse to eat new things. My friends and I have our own food fest usually on Australia Day & are always trying new recipies..some from your Blog so thanks!
I could go a slice right now thank you.
Sounds like a really fun dinner party. Your gateau is stunning. I’d think I’d need a NQN sized slice
thanks for bringing back such great memories of my trip to the pays basque years ago. (i went to the same museum as dorie in fact, but it was closed, boo hoo) it’s one of my favorite regions of france. and if you had to pick a basque dessert – the gateau basque was certainly the best pick ! yours looks fantastic !! i also just LOVE the presentation of the gazpacho above, how much fun i would have with those little red & white cups !
I NEED TO EAT THAT NOW!
What a coincidence, we just added this to our menu last week. We’d be thrilled to have you drop by to try our version.
a dinner party with a color theme would be a lot of fun–i’m almost inspired to host one myself. that shot of your gateau with the oozy innards seeping out is just divine.
Oh Lorraine, I’m still salivating at the thought of your delicious Gateau Basque, thanks a million for sharing the recipe (even sent your pics to my mother in law, she loved the way your cake looked!!)
Well, we had to cook something special for dinner, I mean you and Mr NQN go to the best restaurants all the time, so to steal a classic Masterchef line, “the pressure was on”!
PS: will be going to the Basque Country in 2 weeks time, so I’ll definitely check out the Gateau Basque Museum
Anything with lashings of creme patissiere with cherrys sounds good to me!
Everything looks so tasty! I make Gateau Basque occasionally, because I’m a huge fan of custard + pastry + cherries. Addictive! .. hence, “occasionally”
mmmm definitely like the oooozing there!!!!
Your gateau looks incredible – isn’t it interesting to find out one’s heritage?? Pity I’m just Chinese *yawn* LOL. My partner is Finnish! Mr NQN is half? Does he/have you visit Finland often??
We like to celebrate Winter Solstice. It is so close to Christmas that everyone is in a party mood. We can’t compete with New Year’s Eve parties so we celebrate earlier. Dec. 21 usually. Even if it falls in the middle of the week everyone comes for supper. Supper is more or less pot luck except for the Wisconsin Bratwurst steamed in beer with onions and yellow peppers. All of the food must be white or yellow to honor the sun so it will come back. Usually someone brings scalloped potatoes, yellow squash casserole, etc. desert is lemon pie or cake. The toast is ” Ick snobbur gue, yo, bork, bork bork” which loosely translated means “Hi to the sun, but snow, snow, snow” Of course we made that up, lol. We cross country ski and snowshoe so we want snow.
You can bring some food fun to any kind of party, can’t you? Just this week, my neighbor said he wanted to start doing theme dinner, cooking what all of our heritages are. Of course, I offered to do the Italian because we Italians still think you can’t really do it if you don’t have any Italian blood in you.
The food festival I look forward to…the county fair. One year we got lucky with the best shrimp po boy’s ever. Cajun food ranks way up there with me as celebration worthy.
wow! the recipes you have are very mouth-watering. I want to try of your recipes to test my cooking skill I just learned from the cooking school.
Gateau Basque with both cherries AND almonds?! *swoons*
nigella
this is my region !!! and my cake too!
cheers Pierre
We like to celebrate Winter Solstice. It is so close to Christmas that everyone is in a party mood. We can’t compete with New Year’s Eve parties so we celebrate earlier. Dec. 21 usually. Even if it falls in the middle of the week everyone comes for supper. Supper is more or less pot luck except for the Wisconsin Bratwurst steamed in beer with onions and yellow peppers. All of the food must be white or yellow to honor the sun so it will come back. Usually someone brings scalloped potatoes, yellow squash casserole, etc. desert is lemon pie or cake. The toast is ” Ick snobbur gue, yo, bork, bork bork” which loosely translated means “Hi to the sun, but snow, snow, snow” Of course we made that up, lol. We cross country ski and snowshoe so we want snow.
The genes don’t lie? Yeah, sadly neither do the jeans. A small slice for me please
I think I need more Basque blood. So much passion!
That looks delicious!
Actually the entire meal looks delicious!
Hi Deanna-Oh how fantastic! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Hi Maria-It was indeed!
Ahh yes what a beautiful time of the year 
Hi Krista-yes it’s quite different in its own right from what I have tried!
Oh how fabulous! 
Hi Julie-Thanks!
Hi Chantelle-Yes it’s really interesting! I’d love to do mien
X
Hi Rosa-Yes it was such a lovely dinner party!
Hi lo-Isn’t it great!
Thanks, I hope that you like it!
Hi Blond Duck-yes this was my first time with it!
Hi Faith-I know, I love cherries too!
How fun for you! Ooh that sounds wonderful 
Will you blog about it? 
Hi Liss-hehe you and me both!
Hi Cakelaw-hehe thankyou! yes it’s a killer combo isn’t it!
Hi sandra-Hehe true true, a meal is a chance for a festival!
Hi Lisa-thankyou!
That sounds like a fantastic way to pass an afternoon!
Hi Celia-thankyou! The tomato tart tatin was really good!
Hi Marthe-It was a great night. It sounds like a magical night! I would do the same if I were there!
Hi kewpie-Hehe good choice!
Hi Shan-I know, me too!
it sounds sweet nevertheless and I bet it could feel like your birthday festival! 
Hi Mokita-Ahh that’s a new festival to me!
That sounds like it would be amazing to watch! 
Hi mum-it was a great idea!I was just relieved to find an appropriate dessert!
xxx
Hi Gera-hehe thankyou so much and LOL you are too funny!
x
Hi Anh-It’s a bit different from your normal dinner party theme isn’t it
Hi Matilda-Aww I didn’t want to ruin it andthe pastry was very sticky! I can’t say it was my favourite pastry to work with
Ahh it’s been years since I went to the Aroma festival!
Hi delicieux-it was indeed!
Yes those cups are so cute! 
Hi lisa-Hehe yes it’s inspired isn’t it!
I’ve heard so much about that festival!
Hi Rebecca-I think they’re from Robert Gordon
Hi Kelley-Hehe wouldn’t it be great if supermarkets delivered in a matter of minutes?
Hi Betty-Thanks! it was really Myriam and Jean
Hi Wretchdz-excellent, I hope you like it!
Oh wow, now that’s really interesting! 
Hi penny-haha that is SO true!
Hi lisa-Thankyou so much!
Aww the smell of BBQ-how fab! 
Hi Mary-You’re welcome! I love that idea!
Hi Camilla-Thankyou!
Hi Sue-Hehe I know! I think he was quite happy with it too!
Ooh can I move there? 
Hi Hannah-I know, how clever is technology nowadays? hehe well if Mr NQN wants me to sure!
Hi Tenina-haha I like that name!
Thankyou!
Hi Mei-It was very fun!
Hi Belle-I don’t know, a bit of both perhaps! They call it a gateau
Aww no it will be fine!
Hi Vanessa-Oooh now that’s an idea!
Oh cool! I hope that you’ve liked them! 
Hi Mary-Excellent!
Hi bakingaddict-LOL I like the sound of an NQN sized slice
Hi Kerrin-Oh fantastic! Oh no, what shame that it was closed but how much fun to visit the region! Aren’t they the best?
Hi Bam-hehe!
Hi Jean-Oh fantastic! I should definitely try and visit
Hi grace-Oh good idea! A southern red and white theme would be fantastic! Hehe I know, I was rather pleased with that shot!
Hi Myriam-thanks for the invitation, it was a fun dinner party!
Aww lovely! hehe fabulous, I can’t wait to read all about it!
Hi Mark-haha true! It’s rarely going to go wrong…
Hi Y-Ooh for the restaurant?
Hi Carolyn-hehe I know, I love a good ooze shot!
Hi catty-Thankyou! I know, I want to do mine too. I wonder if everyone finds a surprise? yep he’s half! We’ve only visited once and it was gorgeous! How about you?
Hi Maggie-hehe what an amazing event!
I’ve never experienced anything quite like that before!
Hi Angela-Hehe I like to!
Oh shrimp po boys? No way! How amazing is that? 
I’ve never had one (but am dying to). We sadly don’t have much cajun 
Hi 3rd design-Thankyou!
I hope you like them!
Hi Midge-hehe and custard too!
Hi pierre-how fabulous! You are very fortunate to live there
Hi Conor-Hehe true dat!
Hi Fiona-Yep they sure do have it!
Hi Phunk-it was such a lovely meal
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