Going to the Basque Country and not eating Basque pie is an unforgivable crime. You can forgive not trying the porrusalda, the marmitako or the hake kokotxas, but don't skip the Basque pie no matter how copious the meal may have been.
It would be just as unforgivable to go to Galicia and not try the Santiago cake or to Ibiza and not end the meal with greixonera or flaó.
It seems that the Basque pie originates from the area of the country included within French territory. In fact, it is a recipe well known worldwide as gateau basque. There are two variants of it. The one made in the north is filled with cherry jam while in the south pastry cream is usually used.
Due to the differences in filling, you will find that a distinction is made between the basque gateau (filled with jam) and the Basque pie (filled with pastry cream) although they are basically cooked in the same way.
All types of Basque pie are prepared with a dough that covers the bottom and sides of a mold on which the filling is deposited to finally place a lid of dough that will end up baking.
We are going to make a Basque pie just as we find it in Euskadi, that is, filled with pastry cream.
INGREDIENTS
for the pastry cream:
- 4 egg yolks
- 60 grams (2 oz) of cornstarch
- 1 liter (5 cups) of milk
- 120 grams (4 oz) of sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lemon peel (without the white part)
Remove half a cup of milk from it. Boil the rest with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel until it starts to rise. Remove from heat and reserve. In a bowl, mix the yolks with the sugar, cornstarch and half a cup of milk. We beat well.
Remove the cinnamon and lemon peel from the warm milk and slowly pour it over the mixture, stirring constantly. Add to a saucepan over low heat and, stirring constantly, heat until thick. Remove from heat and reserve.
INGREDIENTS
for the dough:
- 250 grams (9 oz) of white flour
- 200 grams (7 oz) of unsalted butter
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) of ground almonds
- 150 grams (5 oz) of sugar
- baker's yeast
- A pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
We mix the flour, the ground almonds, the sugar and the butter in ointment. Knead well until homogenized. At that time we add the two beaten eggs, the pinch of salt and the yeast.
Knead again, cover with a cloth and let rest for at least an hour.
After the resting time, divide the dough into two equal parts. We pass one of them through the roller and place it at the bottom of a mold of about 22 cm (9 inches) in diameter with low walls. We rise the sides up the walls to completely line the mold.
Let's pour the pastry cream. The other half of the dough is flattened with the rolling pin and shaped into a circle slightly larger than the diameter of the mould. Place carefully on top, closing with a fold on the edge of the other part of the dough so that it is well closed.
To make it golden, the dough is painted with an egg. Put it in the oven at 200 degrees (390 F) for 40 minutes. Let it cool and consume it, if possible without putting it in the refrigerator and in the freshest way possible.
You will often see that the Basque cake is decorated with the so-called "lauburu".
The lauburu is a traditional pre-Christian Basque symbol of unclear meaning. For those who contemplating the image that heads this article have already found an analogy, simply corroborate what you already think: indeed, it reminds of a swastika.
The swastika is a universal symbol present in many cultures of all times. They exist in Hinduism, Buddhism, in pre-Columbian cultures and even decorating the floor of some synagogue long before the infamous Nazis appropriated it, believing that it was a symbol of the Aryan race that invaded northern India and the who believed themselves to be descendants.
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| Symbol painted or engraved on Gateau Basque called Lauburu |
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| Can you see the Lauburu in the cover of the pie? |
In fact it is a sign as universal as the memory of the Flood. So there is probably some specific reason why it is such a common sign in the human race. Something like this was conjectured by the astronomer Carl Sagan who formulated the hypothesis that in the past, probably in Prehistory, a comet was visible moving across the sky with a shape very similar to the swastika. It must have been such a relevant and amazing event that it left an indelible mark on the human being.
Whether this theory is true or not, the cake that you will find under the lauburu will surely leave you with a memory that you will not forget.