Amandine

[bleudauvergne]

My husband's grandmother was raised in Brittany, and having moved to follow Parisian husband when she was married 65 years ago, lives in Paris.  I can certainly imagine that the dishes she prepared as she raised her 11 children in Paris could fall into the category of Parisian home cooking

It's only a matter of knowing what a gâteau breton is or is not. A gâteau breton remains a gâteau breton wherever it is made, Paris or Hong Kong. Including it in a book as "Parisian home cooking" seems a bit weird.

I make a pretty good pho soup at home and I've been making it for years, but I wouldn't describe it as "Parisian home cooking" if I were to write down the recipe for a book.

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This is a good topic for further discussion. I have started a new thread Here.

I'm embarrassed to say that I have not yet tried this recipe.    ...

Assuming that I can't, I CAN promise to try it over this weekend and report back.

Linda, By all means do try the recipe and report back! I want to know what you think of the results!

[LindaK]

I will definitely bake one or two this weekend, but in the interest of posting something more helpful in the meantime, I did a bit of homework, et voilà...

First of all, in the Gâteau Breton recipe from Roberts’ Parisian Home Cooking, among the expected ingredients was another that surprised me: yeast. So this morning, it occurred to me to consult my one general purpose French cookbook, La Cuisine de Madame Saint-Ange (it’s much like the Joy of Cooking for French cuisine) and what I found was a Gâteau du Nord, which was basically the same recipe, including the yeast—but no nuts. According to the notes for the recipe, its origins are from the Artois (and that it’s currently en vogue in parisienne pâtisseries!).

Then, I did a quick search for Gâteau Breton on Marmiton.org, a French recipe web site I keep bookmarked for emergencies like this. If you do the same, you should find 8 recipes, all more or less the same basic butter cake recipe. Two use yeast, the other do not. None have nuts. The variations are mostly around the butter/egg/egg yolk ratios as well as additional flavoring agents—mostly rum, cointreau, citrus zest.

So, my conclusions, based only on reading: the real variation is in the yeast/no yeast version. Additional flavoring agents are optional, nuts seem dubious if originality is what you care about. The Roberts’ recipe has all the variations—nuts, rum, lemon zest—which makes sense if his is based on a fancy parisienne pâtisserie version.

[Swisskaese]

I realise that this cake recipe has flour in it, but maybe you could experiment with it, split it and fill it with frangipane:

Almond Butter Cake

Frangipane

And here is a flourless almond cake:

Gateau aux amandes

Edited May 17, 2005 by Swisskaese (log)

[kitwilliams]

I took a stab at something like this cake today and although my filling wasn't quite as gloriously unctious as the one pictured above and my cake was a Breton Butter Cake without almonds, I have to say, Damn! It was good!

In Madeline Kamman's "When French Women Cook", there is a recipe for a Gateau Breton aux Pruneaux. I baked the cake (which consists of butter, sugar, whole egg, yolks, flour, cornstarch. i substituted vanilla and almond extract for the orange flower water) without the prune filling (I've made it with the filling before and it is very good). When cold, sliced it and filled it with 8 oz of pastry cream combined with an almond cream consisting of almond paste, sugar and butter -- no egg or flour.

It looked very similar to the photo except, as I said, the filling was more like pastry cream-iness than like the thickness and viscosity of the original almond filling. It was absolutely gorgeous and I'll try it again, maybe adding a larger percentage of almond cream to the pastry cream. But maybe not, as the flavor was purely almond-y and just right.

As I think chefzadi said above, this tasted of the best of home made (or something to that effect). Luscious. A keeper.

[LindaK]

Kit, that sounds fabulous. There's nothing like butter, eggs, and pastry cream.

[curlywurlyfi]

"Luscious" - that is the perfect word to describe this cake. And Kit, that sounds fantastic! Would love a PM of the MK recipe? Must Try This At Home!

[kitwilliams]

"Luscious" - that is the perfect word to describe this cake.  And Kit, that sounds fantastic!  Would love a PM of the MK recipe?  Must Try This At Home!

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left the book at work, Fi, but will PM it to you later.

wish i had some leftover for breakfast!

[LindaK]

Wow. I'm a relatively skilled home cook so I rarely suffer Catastrophic Culinary Failure (CCF). I'm not talking about disappointing results or not meeting expectations. I'm talking about producing something completely inedible.

Well, my effort to produce this cake was perhaps a long overdue CCF experience. I have a large, buttery hockey puck sitting on my kitchen counter at the moment. Dense, tough, yet somehow still moist, almost soggy on the bottom. Quite a spectacular CCF experience, actually, considering the short list of ingredients and seemingly simple instructions. I generally don't advertise my failures quite so publicly, but this was pretty humbling. And I did promise to report back!

On the bright side, I have a bowl of delicious pastry cream in the fridge that never did make it into the middle of that cake.

[kitwilliams]

Wow. I'm a relatively skilled home cook so I rarely suffer Catastrophic Culinary Failure (CCF). I'm not talking about disappointing results or not meeting expectations. I'm talking about producing something completely inedible.

Well, my effort to produce this cake was perhaps a long overdue CCF experience.  I have a large, buttery hockey puck sitting on my kitchen counter at the moment.  Dense, tough, yet somehow still moist, almost soggy on the bottom.  Quite a spectacular CCF experience, actually, considering the short list of ingredients and seemingly simple instructions.  I generally don't advertise my failures quite so publicly, but this was pretty humbling. And I did promise to report back!

On the bright side, I have a bowl of delicious pastry cream in the fridge that never did make it into the middle of that cake.

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Oh! So disappointing! Which recipe did you end up using, Linda?

Since I made changes to the Madeleine Kamman recipe, I'm going to post it here:

Gateau Breton (formerly Gateau Breton aux Pruneaux)

228 g. lightly salted butter

1 egg

3 egg yolks

125 g. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

180 g. sifted flour

5 g. sifted cornstarch

1 tbsp butter for cake pan

Cream butter on medium low speed until WHITE. Add egg, yolks, sugar and flavorings and beat continuously for 10 minutes on medium speed. Combine flour and cornstarch and add to butter mixture by gently stirring in until incorporated.

Use remaining 1 tbsp butter and spread on bottom and sides of a 9" round tin. Spread batter into pan. Smooth top and brush with an additional egg yolk and, with tines of fork, make crisscross pattern. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Note: in MK's original recipe, only 2 egg yolks are used in the cake and one is used for the topping. I goofed and added all three to the cake but am glad I did as it is a very short cake and, even with the third yolk, it is still delicate to slice and fill. Handy to have cardboard cake circles to slip between the layers once sliced and, once filling is spread on bottom layer, just slide the top layer off the cardboard circle directly onto the bottom layer.

Almond Filling: These are the proportions I used. You might want to up all the almond cream ingredients (paste, sugar, butter) by a quarter to get the filling you're looking for. The filling as is, was creamy. The filling in Fi's picture looks LUSCIOUS and thicker.

8 oz. chilled pastry cream

125 g. almond paste

25 g. granulated sugar

55 g. unsalted butter, softened slightly

Combine almond paste and sugar and mix thoroughly. Add butter in bits and beat until creamy. Add cooled pastry cream and stir to combine.

Split cooled cake and fill with almond pastry cream.

Eat.

[bleudauvergne]

I can live vicariously though you this week. I am going to stick to my regime.

Oh dear, Linda, please tell me it was not my recipe that gave you the hockey puck.

[LindaK]

Oh dear, Linda, please tell me it was not my recipe that gave you the hockey puck. 

Don't worry, it wasn't your recipe, it was one that I pulled off the French recipe site Marmiton.org. But even if it had been, it was clearly my screw-up--after all your recipe's worked well for you and others. The proportions were similar, though, to half of your recipe. And the technique was the same.

Thinking back on it, I'm afraid my butter probably wasn't super soft enough and that consequently I had to work the dough too hard to incorporate it. That would explain the toughness. I'm struck by how the Kamman recipe Kit gives reverses the incorporation process--flour into a creamed butter, sugar and egg mixture, rather than vice versa. And sifted flour too. Both would help guard against the kind of mistake I think I must have made. I'm going to try this aproach for Attempt #2, but only because I'm dying to taste this--I won't be happy until I've done both well.

Live and learn. I had to laugh when I dumped my cake into the trash--it was so heavy that it hit the bottom of the bin with a loud thud. I can't remember the last time I turned out something that bad.

Thanks for your advice and sympathy!

[kitwilliams]

In re-reading one of Ptipois' posts, perhaps my percentage of pastry cream to almond cream was too high and the larger amount of the two components should be the almond cream...

I'm hungry for more of this cake.

[annieb]

Brittany and Galicia share a Celtic heritage. The music and use of bagpipes is a strong part of that heritage, but Galicia doesn't get it's use of almonds from that. Outside of a common interest in simple seafood, there's not much shared in the way of gastronomy between the two areas. Each owes more to the larger country of which it's a part when it comes to food.

I would agree completely with the last sentence, but would interject the humble spud as more than a common interest.

As to Cornwall, Mediterranean markets, Breton presence at, etc., there has been trading among the Celtic people of western Europe (generally at "land's end" of whatever country) since the time of the Phoenecians--it's pretty generally accepted that saffron came to Cornwall via that route, where it is still found in saffron buns, etc.

Kind of hard to make the trip in those little boats without stopping a lot along the way, eh?

[bleudauvergne]

I think Kit is right and the cake is a Gateau Basque. Paula Wolfert has a recipe in her SW France book. What do you think?

[Ptipois]

I think Kit is right and the cake is a Gateau Basque.  Paula Wolfert has a recipe in her SW France book.  What do you think?

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You mean the amandine cake?

I thought of it but there's no sponge in gâteau basque. The pastry of gâteau basque resembles a certain type of gâteau breton: the crumbly, egg-washed, very buttery version. I'd rather diagnose a case of recent cake creation, based on butter sponge (perhaps Breton-style, i.e. on a 4/4 basis), and filled with an almond cream that might be the same as in gâteau basque (a crème d'amandes or a frangipane that is heavy on almonds).

Cakes and pastries sold at markets do not necessarily correspond to traditional recipes, even though they may be found on a traditional-looking stall. Brittany is actually very good at creating new types of cakes.

[kitwilliams]

I have made Paula's (and others) version of Gateau Basque which is FABULOUS (the Basque Aromatic Mixture with which Paula flavors her pastry cream is unbelievable and worth the price of the soon to be re-released, updated version of The Cooking of South West France!!!! (how 'bout that plug, Paula?!!!)), but the amandine cake we are discussing here is definitely not the same as the pastry in a Gateau Basque. I'm sticking with my theory that it is a hybrid: the dense, buttery cake of a Gateau Breton with the luscious almond/pastry cream filling of the Gateau Basque.

And now I want a slice of that cake! Who's responsible for bumping this thread up? bleudauvergne???? You're going to have to invite us all over for dessert!!

Edited September 27, 2005 by kitwilliams (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Oh, alright. But I am a disasterous baker. One of the reasons I moved to France, you know.

[Abra]

I'm delighted to discover that I'm going to Bretagne (and Normandie) next year at this time. After drooling over this thread, I can now set myself a research project of finding and consuming enough of this cake for all of us. Unless, of course, any of you want to meet me there and then I'll be so happy to share!

[raisab]

Everytime I see a new post on this thread, I click, hoping it is the recipe for the Gateau Breton. Alas.... not here yet. Bleu, I think it is your fault, we are all in agreement here ! I am dying to taste this cake!

I will be in Barcelona next week, maybe I can pick up some almonds at the market. What is this Paula's cake? Did I miss something? I would love to make it.

Edited October 4, 2005 by raisab (log)

[kitwilliams]

What is this Paula's cake? Did I miss something? I would love to make it.

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raisab,

i was referring to paula wolfert's gateau basque which is filled with an aromatic pastry cream (almond being one of the aromatics). the "cake" in this gateau is more psatry-like (like that spelling? i've been reading too much of the doug PSaltis thread!) than in a gateau breton, but every bit as luscious. the recipe is available in paula's brand spankin' new edition of "The Cooking of South West France" -- i just received my copy in the post this morning!

once the weather cools, i'm going to get back to work on duplicating the cake in fi's picture!

[legourmet]

Everytime I see a new post on this thread, I click, hoping it is the recipe for the Gateau Breton. Alas.... not here yet. Bleu, I think it is your fault, we are all in agreement here !  I am dying to taste this cake!

Sorry it's too time consuming to translate the following two recipes for Gâteau Breton. I hope these will fit your demand. The recipes are from the booklet "Saveurs & terroires de Bretagne"

Il existe une grande variété de gâteaux bretons, tous riches en

beurre, salé le plus souvent. Confectionnés autrefois Pour les fêtes

religieuses et familiales, ces sablés ronds, assez épais, contiennent

parfois des fruits confits, des amandes ou des pommes émincées.

Gâteau breton aux pommes et rhubarbe (recette de Régis Mahé)

POUR 4 PERSONNES

270 g de beurre demi-sel

240 g de sucre semoule

1 œuf entier

6jaunes d'œufs

240 g de farine tamisée

1 pomme

100 g de confiture de rhubarbe

PRÉPARATION : 40 MN CUISSON : 30 MN

1 - LA VEILLE :

Dans un grand bol, à l'aide d'un fouet, ramollir 250 g de beurre en pommade. Ajouter le sucre et fouetter jusqu'à obtention d'une consistance mousseuse. Ajouter l’œuf entier, puis, un à un, 4 jaunes d'oeufs. Incorporer la farine en mé1angeant délicatement à l'aide d'une cuillère en bois. Couvrir d'un film plastique alimentaire et réserver au réfrigérateur.

2 - LE JOUR MÉME :

Préchauffer le four à 180° C. Éplucher et tailler la pomme en fines lamelles. Beurrer 4 moules individuels avec le beurre restant, puis fariner légèrement. Remplir les moules aux trois quarts avec la pâte réalisée la veille. Lisser le dessus avec une spatule. Battre les 2 jaunes d'oeufs. À l'aide d'un pinceau, en badigeonner la Surface, puis recouvrir avec les fines lamelles de pomme arrangées en rosace. Mettre les petits gâteaux au four et laisser cuire pendant 25 à 30 minutes. Surveiller la couleur.

3 - AVANT DE SERVIR:

Lorsque les gâteaux sont cuits, les laisser refroidir 5 minutes,

les démouler et les recouvrir d'une cuillerde à soupe de

confiture de rhubarbe. Servir aussitôt. I1 est possible

d'accompagner ce gâteau d'un peu de crème anglaise.

VIN CONSEILLÉ : MUSCAT DE BEAUMES-DE-VENISE.

Gâteau breton et glace au miel (recette de Jean - Yves Crenn)

POUR 4 PERSONNES

6 pommes de reinette

2 noix de beurre

75 cl de cidre

1 c. à s. de miel

10 cl dejus de pomme

1 c. à c. de fécule

12 rondelles depommes séchées

Pour le gâteau breton.

300g de beurre

90 g de sucre glace

4jaunes d’oeufs

250 g de farine

Pour la glace au miel:

25 cl de lait entier

25 cl de crème épaisse

6jaunes d’oeufs

80 g de sucre

60 g de miel

PRÉPARATION . 1 H 00 - CUISSON . 45 MN

1 - LA VEILLE, LE GÂTEAU BRETON :

Dans un grand bol, ramollir le beurre en pommade. Ajouter le sucre glace et fouetter jusqu'à obtention d'un appareil mousseux. Ajouter 2 jaunes d'oeufs, puis incorporer la farine en mélangeant délicatement. Couvrir d'un film plastique alimentaire et réserver au réfrigérateur.

2 - LE JOUR MÈME, LA GLACE AU MIEL:

Verser le lait et la crème dans une casserole et porter à ébullition. Dans un bol, fouetter les jaunes d'oeufs avec le sucre et le miel jusqu'à obtention d'un mélange crèmeux. Continuer de fouetter et verser petit à petit la crème bouillante. Passer le tout au chinois. Après complet refroidissement, passer la crème dans une sorbetière. Réerver au congélateur.

3 - Préchauffer le four à 180° C. Beurrer et fariner 4 moules ou cercles de 5 centimètres de diamètre. Remplir les moules aux trois quarts avec la pâte réalisée la veille. Lisser le dessus avec une spatule. À l'aide d'un pinceau, enduire la surface avec 2 jaunes d'oeufs préalablement battus. Mettre les petits gâteaux au four et laisser cuire 25 à 30 minutes. Surveiller la couleur.

4 - Éplucher, évider et couper les pommes en demi-quartiers. Les dorer doucement à la poêle avec le beurre. Arranger 6 demiquartiers en rosace sur chaque gâteau breton.

5 - Dans une casserole, porter á ébullition le cidre avec le miel. Sur feu doux, laisser réduire des trois quarts. Mélanger le jus de pomme avec la fécule. Ajouter ce mélange au cidre, en fin de cuisson. Bien mélanger au fouet et réserver la sauce au bain-marie.

6- AVANT DE SERVIR:

Dresser un gâteau breton dans chaque assiette. Monter 4 petits « feuilletés » au miel, en intercalant deux boules de glace au miel entre trois rondelles de pommes séchécs. Les répartir dans les assiettes et napper de sauce. Décorer les assiettes avec les demi-quartiers de pomme restants.

BOISSON CONSEILIIE : INFUSION À LA FLEUR D’ORANGER.

[raisab]

Merci Bien pour les recettes!

[bleudauvergne]

Alright, the weather has cooled here, and it is my husband's birthday. Two good reasons to make this amandine cake today.

[Ptipois]

To make a few things straight:

- Amandine is not a gâteau breton. It is a new creation sold on a market stall that happens to be run by Breton people, and it is probably made on a base of quatre-quarts and an almond cream of the type used in gâteau basque. If you wish to make an amandine cake, there are two solutions. The surefire one: find the stall in Cornwall and ask for the recipe. The convenient one: make a quatre-quarts (breton) and fill it with a thick, gooey crème d'amandes, perhaps based on ground marzipan thinned down with a few eggs. If I ever find an amandine cake on a market, I'll update the information.

- There are many types of cakes made in Brittany but only one deserves to be called "gâteau breton", period, and another one is sometimes called "gâteau breton" but more properly, and more frequently, "quatre-quarts breton". The gâteau breton is halfway between a very dense sponge and a sablé, it is very buttery and crumbly, not unlike gâteau basque, and sometimes it is filled with a thin layer of prune jam, in which case it is called "gâteau breton aux pruneaux".

The quatre-quarts breton is not a sponge but rather like Madeira cake, thick and dense but melting at the same time. Quatre-quarts means "four quarters", from the proportions of ingredients needed in the recipe (equal weights of eggs - whipped egg whites added at the end -, flour, butter and sugar, plus a bit of baking powder). This is, I believe, the kind of pastry that may be used for an amandine cake, because the initial description of the cake reminds me of quatre-quarts breton.

A few hints: any Breton pastry tastes better when made with beurre demi-sel, Breton lightly salted butter.

In the recipes cited above, which are all quite interesting, the one by Jean-Yves Crenn seems to me to be the authentic one and the less "chef-creative". I'm not saying that there are no Breton cakes with apples, but "gâteau breton", basically, is a plain crumbly cake with lots of butter and no addition of fruit, with the sporadic exception of the prune jam at times. It may be eaten with whatever fruit, compote, jam that you like.

Edited October 5, 2005 by Ptipois (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Thank you, ptipois, points well taken.

What I plan to do to create the Amandine is a Gateau Breton for the cake, a recipe given to me by a woman in Ploemel, and then for the inside, P. Wolfert's filling for Gateau Basque, which is a pastry cream that is flavored with Armagnac, fleur d'orange, anisette, dark rum, almond extract and a hint of lemon zest.