July/August - Celebrate Summer Basque Style!

Every summer thousands of people storm the medieval French village of Bayonne for the Fetes de Bayonne. (This year the Fetes, which means party in French, runs from July 28-August 1).  Bayonne is located on the southwestern coast of France, just a short drive from Spain. Typically known for its outstanding chocolate, centuries old city walls, and fresh seafood, for the week of the Fetes de Bayonne it is famous for all night parties, runs with bulls, and seas of people wearing all white with red sashes and berets.  There are parades, concerts, regattas, a rugby game, and plenty of eating and drinking. For the adults, the night life is the biggest party.  Enjoy homemade sangria from street vendors and enjoy the huge street party that ensues.

And of course while you are there be sure to take time to stroll the historic streets and stop in a cafe for one of the world's best hot chocolates.

If you want some time away from the crowds and in the sun, head toward Anglet and Biarritz.  Only about an hour car ride away, these beach towns are international surfing locations and you may happen upon a surfing contest.


Biarritz was, and some say still is, the beach playground for the wealthy. The promenade along the beach is where women push their babies in old fashioned prams, and the fashionable go to be seen. It makes for some great people watching on your way down to the water. The Hotel du Palais once hosted England's monarchy for their summer holidays, and its five star status still makes it fit for a queen.

If you want to get in the mood for a great trip to Basque Country, try making some Gateau Basque, a delicious cookie-like cake with either a pastry creme or fruit filling.  

Gateau Basque

Makes 8 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 to 1 cup thick cherry jam or an equal amount of vanilla pastry cream
1 egg beaten with a splash of water, for the glaze

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep at hand.

Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add the egg and beat another 2 minutes or so, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture may look curdled, but that's OK. Add vanilla and mix for about a minute more. Then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two or three additions, mixing only until they're fully incorporated into the dough.
Place a large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper on your work surface and put half of the very soft and sticky dough in the center of the sheet. Cover with another piece of plastic or wax paper, then roll the dough into a circle just a little larger than 8 inches in diameter. As you're rolling, turn the dough over and lift the plastic or paper frequently, so that you don't roll it into the dough and form creases. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Put the dough on a cutting board or baking sheet and refrigerate it for about 3 hours or for up to 3 days.
When you're ready to assemble and bake the gateau, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Generously butter a 2-inch high, 8-inch round cake pan.
Remove the layers from the refrigerator and let them rest on the counter for a couple of minutes before peeling away the plastic or paper. Fit one layer into the pan — if it breaks, just press the pieces together. If there's a little extra dough running up the sides of the pan, you can either fold it over the bottom layer or cut it so that it's even. Spoon some of the jam or pastry cream onto the dough, starting in the center of the cake and leaving one inch of dough bare around the border. Add more filling if you don't think it will squish out the sides when you press down on it with the top layer of dough. (I find that 3/4 cup is usually just the right amount, but if you're using a very thick jam, you might want a bit more.)
Moisten the bare ring of dough with a little water and then top with the second piece of dough, pressing down around the edges to seal it. If you'd like, you can work your finger between the top dough and the edge of the pan, so that you tuck the dough under a little. Because of the softness of the dough and the baking powder, even if you only press the layers together very lightly, they'll fuse as they bake. And, no matter how well you press them together, it seems inevitable that a little of the filling will escape.
Brush the top of the dough with the egg glaze and use the tips of the tines of a fork to etch a cross-hatch pattern across the top.
Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before carefully running a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. Turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and then quickly and carefully invert it onto another rack so that it can cool to room temperature right side up.
Storing: Wrapped well, the jam-filled cake will keep for a day or so at room temperature. You can also keep the cream-filled cake overnight, but it will need to be refrigerated. However, because refrigeration can dry cakes, I think it's best to serve the cream-filled cake the day it is made.


What makes a gateau Basque so intriguing is that the cake has a clue as to what's baked inside. If filled with pastry cream, there's a crosshatch pattern on top. If filled with black cherry jam, another regional specialty, there's a Basque cross — a cross shaped like a rounded pinwheel — baked flat on top.

Big Travel for JULY

If you're thinking of leaving the good ol' US of A this month, here are some things to consider:

July is a Good Time to Travel To:

Galapagos Islands. 

The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean,  west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and wildlife is its most notable feature. While it's not exactly convenient or necessarily cheap to get here (you have to fly into Quito and then take another 3 hr flight or join your cruise ship), you'll see the wildlife documented by Charles Darwin and protected by the islands' status as a national park and biological preserve.
Being nearly equal with the equator the sun is fierce in the Galapagos so you need a healthy coat of sunscreen regardless of the time of year you visit. From June to December southern trade winds bring cooler currents so that the highlands of the larger islands are kept green and lush, while the sea level islands and shorelines have little precipitation. Thus, June to December is generally called the dry season and is known for its blue skies and mid-day showers. Also due to the cooler water currents this is the best time to observe the ocean life, and it is especially wonderful for those who dive.
One of the best ways to see the islands is by Cruise. These aren't your Carnival style cruise ships, but rather most only hold a few hundred at most and are much smaller ships, able to provide a more personalized voyage.  If you want to stay on the islands, your choices surely won't include a Holiday Inn, but check out some options Here.