During my cooking stage at Pain, Adour et Fantaisie, a two-star restaurant in southwestern France, days off were few and far between for the commis (French for grunt line cooks). Whenever I got the chance, though, I’d round up my fellow workers for a road trip to the Basque country. We always knew when we crossed the border into Spain, because everything looked different—the Spanish hillsides were rugged and less pristine than the green countryside of southwestern France. We were cooks, so food was the first thing on our agenda. After plates of jamón and several bottles of red wine, we headed to the bakeries, where I was charmed by the simple, heartfelt sweets of the Basque bakers. A few years back, I was reminded of those quick forays into Spain by an excellent cook named Brian Edwards. His training in Spain had left him with fond memories he was eager to share. When he described his favorite Basque dessert, pastel vasco, I knew it was my kind of sweet. A simple pound cake made with rum and layered with fruit compote sounded like the perfect addition to our dessert list. My pastry chef at the time, Kimberly Sklar, did some research and perfected her own version of this rustic Spanish sweet. We put it on the menu, but for some reason it didn’t sell. One morning, I toasted a slice of leftover cake in a buttered cast-iron pan and ate it with warm berry compote. Unable to fathom how such deliciousness could be ignored, I put it back on the menu, embellishing the description just a little: “Pastel Vasco, toasted in the wood-burning oven with blackberries and poured cream.” The power of words is amazing. We sold out night after night.
Ingredients
Blackberry Compote
Preparation
Step 1
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add the salt.
Step 2
Whisk 3 eggs together in a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, melted butter, rum, extracts, and orange juice. Fold in the dry ingredients, and let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 4
Lightly butter a loaf pan. Pour three-quarters of the batter into the pan, and spoon b cup compote over it. Top with the remaining batter, letting some of the berries show through.
Step 5
Beat the remaining egg, and brush it over the batter. Sprinkle a handful of sugar over the top. Bake about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 6
Let the cake cool completely on a rack. Cut into 3/4-inch slices, and butter lightly on both sides.
Step 7
Warm the remaining compote in a small saucepan over low heat.
Step 8
Heat a griddle or large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Toast each slice of cake lightly for a minute or two on each side, until it’s golden brown and crispy. Arrange the slices, slightly overlapping, on a large platter. Spoon the warm compote over the slices of cake, and serve with a small pitcher of cream.
Blackberry Compote
Step 9
Pour the sugar into a medium pot. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp into the sugar. Add 1/3 cup water, and bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring. Cook about 10 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture is an amber caramel color.
Step 10
While the sugar is caramelizing, stir 2 tablespoons water into the cornstarch in a small bowl (this is called a “slurry” and will help thicken the fruit juices). Set aside.
Step 11
When the sugar has reached an amber caramel color, add half the blackberries and the brandy to the pot. The sugar will harden. Continue cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes, without stirring, over medium-low heat, until the berries release their juices and the sugar dissolves.
Step 12
Strain the berries over a bowl, and pour the liquid back into the pot. Transfer the cooked berries to the bowl, and stir in the remaining uncooked blackberries. Bring the blackberry caramel back to a boil over medium heat, and slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry, a little at a time. Cook a few more minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Pour the thickened juices over the berries, and stir to combine.
