from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Bœuf de Bazas
A Bazas bull.
Bazardaize Beef.
Restaurants looking to attract customers that appreciate quality, depth of flavor, and texture may put the Boeuf de Bazas (also called Boeuf Bazadais) on the menu. The cattle go to market when no younger than 36 months—an optimal age for natural marbling.
The
breed carries the prestigious and publicly accepted Label Rouge, red
label, and IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) certifications so whether
prepared as a steak, stew, or roast you’ll taste the difference.
Label Rouge
The breed
developed over 800 years ago from Aquitaine and Spanish cattle and are easily
recognizable. In the Middle Ages they
were primarily raised for milk and draft work as the only cattle raised for beef
belonged to the aristocracy. However,
the tractor ended the need for draft oxen and by 1970 only around 700 certified
Bazadais cattle remained; the breed was on the verge of extinction. Then, local
farmers joined together and the Bazadaise breed made a comeback and was
commercially reintroduced some thirty years ago. Today they are prized for
their exceptional meat and high-quality milk.
Their
name comes from the town of Bazas, located just 45 km (28 miles) from historic
town of Bazas just 54km, (28 miles) from Bordeaux, France. A town festival is held every year in February
named the Fête des Boeufs Gras ( the Festival of the Fat Oxen), it
celebrated the fattened Bazadaise stock and their meat. If you are close to Bordeaux and want to
enjoy a local celebration and local menus contact the Tourist
Information Office in Bazas for the dates. The same office will provide
information on the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park.
The Fête des Boeufs Gras de Bazas
The Festival of the Fat Oxen.
Photograph courtesy of the Bazas city hall.
Boeuf Bazadaise on your menu:
Le Marbré de Bœuf
de Bazas au Poivre Verte et Moutarde à l'Ancienne - A well-marbled green pepper steak from the Bazas beef served with a
traditional mustard.
Poivre Verte: Green pepper is the pepper of choice for many French
chefs when preparing pepper steaks; these are the same peppercorns that
produce black and white pepper, but picked before they are fully
ripened and then pickled in brine and dried. The result is a
pepper with a slight herbal flavor, and less pungent than
black peppercorns. With green
peppercorns the chef can control the heat.
Moutarde à
l'Ancienne: A mustard made in the traditional
manner. Here the chef will be making his or her own mustard. The
mustard seeds will be soaked in water for a few days, then lightly crushed to
retain a grainy texture, flavored vinegar and another herb may be added. France boasts many different mustards with
Dijon being the most well-known, however, there are indeed many others.
A chef who makes
his own mustard told me that good mustard depends on the freshness of
the grinding and he mixes white and black mustard grains and adding fruit vinegar, sugar, and
a little salt. After his creation has developed its flavor in the refrigerator
for a day or two the final the taste is acquired by adjusting the ingredients and
occasionally a small amount of adding Worcestershire sauce. The final taste will depend on the dish that
the mustard will be served with. Since this chef doesn’t sell his
tasty mustard outside his restaurant, its pale brown color is of no
commercial importance. The mustard is made fresh three times a week and no
preservatives are used, and anything more than three days old will be
thrown out. When you see Moutarde à l'Ancienne on the
menu ask the waiter or Maire D’ for more information; the mustard may be
something very memorable.
Steak au Poivre Vert
Steak with a green pepper sauce, asparagus and French
fries.
Bœuf
de Bazas en Pot-au-Feu, Brochette de Légumes, Bouillon à l'Huile
de Truffe - A
Bazadaise beef stew. Here the
traditional Pot-au-Feu has been upgraded by preparing the broth
with truffle oil and
the dish is accompanied by skewered vegetables. With a menu item
like this, always ask for more explanations from your
waiter. Some pot-au-feus can
be two stage servings, a meal in itself.
Huile de Truffe : Truffle oil may be a step down from real truffles, but it should
provide a hint of what a fresh truffle can add to a dish. Chefs have
made truffle oil for at least two hundred years by simply soaking truffle
shavings in olive oil. The final product is a strongly flavored oil that will
add some of the flavors of truffles, and may be stored year-round. When you buy
commercially prepared truffle oil, it is unlikely that the amount of truffles
used is anywhere near the amount of truffle a chef would use in his or her
homemade product. If you are buying for your home, look carefully at the label,
and do not buy products that note they are made with truffle flavor; that is
not the real thing and from my experience they don't taste like the real thing.
.
Joue et Queue de Bœuf de Bazas, Effilochée
en Salade d'Huile Vierge. The cheeks and tail of Bazas beef thinly sliced and
served with a salad made with virgin olive oil.
Beef cheeks and
beef tail (ox-tail) are traditional bistro dishes; this menu listing shows the traditional ingredients
prepares as a salad. The meat will have been slowly cooked for hours until it is really tender The
word effilochée which is part of the listing means ripped apart,
however, here the word indicates the meat is so tender that it will
fall apart. The virgin
olive oil will be added just before serving; using virgin olive oil to cook
destroys its flavor.
Pavé de Bœuf de
Bazas au Pinot
Noir d'Alsace – A thick slice of Bazas beef served with a sauce prepared
with the light red Pinot Noir wine from the Alsace in northeastern France.
When a menu offers a Pavé de
Bœuf that’s a French rump steak Pavé de Bœuf: Rump steak, also called a Pavé de Rumsteck ), usually the
USA sirloin or UK rump steak. French rump steaks are very well prepared,
certainly much better than similar steaks in the USA or the UK. French chefs cannot
order beef by grades like US prime, choice or select, etc. The chef
or the sous chef will personally choose the meat that the restaurant
will serve, and that is all to the diner's benefit. All the
beef will be carefully prepared and marinated before being grilled or
fried.
The Pinot Noir d'Alsace
wine is a very light red, and its taste will not interfere with the
taste of this unique beef. N.B. The Pinot Noir from the Alsace is a very light red and so for a full-bodied red wine
to accompany this dish choose a wine from
elsewhere in France.
Carpaccio de
Boeuf de Bazas, Chutney de Figues et au
Parmesan. A beef Carpaccio served with a fig chutney and a creamy Parmesan sauce.
However, the
French have never refused great recipes brought from other
countries. Four humdred years before
another Italian, Catherine de Medici, a Florentine,
came to France in the 16th century to marry the French Prince Henry, later
King Henry II, and then French menus changed. France exports its
creations and imports others.
Carpaccio: Carpaccio - This iconic dish didn't originate with a
French chef; the Carpaccio’s creator was an Italian, Giuseppe Cipriani
(1900–1980). Giuseppe Cipriani was the
owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy and in the 1950's Cipriani created
Carpaccio di Manzo (Italian for Beef Carpaccio) for a regular customer whose
doctor had forbidden her to eat cooked meat The dish was named in honor of the
famous Venetian Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1460 - 1526), known
for his vibrant red hues. According to the Cipriani tradition, the dish was
created for a regular customer of Harry’s Bar whose doctor had forbidden her to
eat cooked meat. Carpaccio is so much a part of French menus that few
French citizens realize that it is a relatively new Italian creation. However,
the French have never refused great recipes brought from other countries. Four hundred
years before Carpaccio another Italian, Catherine
de Medici, a Florentine, came to France in the 16th
century to marry the French Prince Henry, later King Henry II,
Entrecôte Bazadaise -
An entrecôte from
the Bazadaise beef, Entrecôte is a rib eye steak in North
America and the UK. Though in the UK an Entrecôte can include the forerib and
may also be part of a UK sirloin. (UK and USA sirloins are not the
same).
The word entrecôte is French and means between the
ribs, and that it is. A French entrecôte steak is usually prepared
without the bone, and is one of the tastiest steaks that any restaurant can
offer.
An entrecôte with Sauce Béarnaise on the side.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/paris/the-beef-club/ps44842722.cms
Faux Filet de Bœuf de
Bazas, Mousseline de Carotte, Blettes au
Citron. A US Strip Steak or Delmonico among other name; in the
UK this is a sirloin. The steak is accompanied by a very light carrot puree and
Swiss chard flavored with lemon. (UK and USA sirloins are different
cuts). A Faux fillet (also
called a Contre Fillet) is cut just below the entrecôte. A faux-fillet will be grilled, or lightly
pan-fried, and never well done. Well done, this cut would be very tough.
Mousseline: The word mousseline used here comes from the
material muslin. Until the arrival of very thin metal sieves muslin was used to
prepare very light purees).
The Town of Bazas
Bazas is a small pretty town in
the department of Gironde with its history going back to Roman
times. The town still has late medieval houses and narrow streets along
with a Cathedral built during the 13th and 14th centuries. The Bazas Tourist Office English
website:
The
Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf.
To
improve the local menus and keep the competition away there is the Confrérie Bazadaise du
Bœuf, the brother and sisterhood of
the Bazadaise beef. This Confrérie was formed in 1995 when the Bazas beef
began to be a significant commercial enterprise.
Modern French confreries
are most voluntary organisations that work with and enjoy promoting a
particular food or wine. There are
hundreds of confreries including those that support Fresh Mayonnaise, the
real Tart Tatin, Pink Garlic, and more. They dress up in would be
ancient costumes and organize fairs and dinners. For
many members, their primary job apart from the Mardi Gras
celebrations is to have a good time.
Members of the Confrérie Bazadaise
du Bœuf.
The brother and sisterhood of
the Bazardais beef.
The
Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf claim they reintroduced a tradition
dating back to when the English ruled Aquitaine. Then Eleanor of Aquitaine,
France married Prince Henry of England when he was also Duke of Normandy and
Count of Anjo in 1154. Two years later
Henry would become King Henry II of England and the ruler of Aquitaine while
Eleanor became Queen of England. The
English finally lost Aquitaine in 1453 and even if you don’t agree with the dates
claimed by the confrerie, their tradition is undoubtedly over
300-years-old.
The confrerie’s fete
coincides with Carnival,
and the celebrations begin with a parade the day before Mardi Gras (Mardi
Gras means Fat Tuesday, in French). During Mardi Gras, special meals
for carnivores are served, and at the same time, a large amount of wine will be
drunk. For observant Christians, Mardi Gras was followed by the days of
prayer and fasting of Lent, when no meat was eaten, so everyone ate as much as
they could afford before those 40 meatless days.
The only problem is that Fat
Tuesday (Mardi Gras) moves around each year as it linked to Easter. So
Mardi Gras can be anywhere from March 22 to April 24. To check the dates, check with the French
Government Tourist Information Office.
In the modern fete, the Confrérie
organizes a parade where the bulls are paraded through the town. The parade is
led by horses followed by children playing on fifes and drums with other
children on stilts. Parades and contests end with the finest Bazadais specimens
wrapped with flowers and ribbon on their horns.
To win an 800-kilo bull to take home and show the folks buy a lottery
ticket when you arrive.
The Bazardais Cattle
To meet the requirements for
the Label Rouge, all the beef must be of a unique and consistent quality
and raised with modern forms of animal husbandry. Calves must be raised by
their mothers and allowed to graze freely, and no antibiotics or growth
hormones may be used.
In the summer the cattle are
free range and, in the winter, Bazas' cattle are kept in barns where they feed
on grasses that were collected from their pastures during the summer. That,
along with natural cereals is their complete diet. No animal additives may be
part of their diet. Apart from the winter the only time the Bazardais cattle
are not allowed to range freely is in the summer just before they go to market.
Cathedral of St Jean Baptiste de Bazas in Bazas
Photograph courtesy of dizzymissytrolly
www.flickr.com/photos/missydizzytrolly/6162176191/
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
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