Cuisine béarnaise
Some 50 years ago when I was being introduced to gastronomy, la sauce béarnaise was one of the first delights I discovered. So yesterday when I visited Pau, the capital of the Béarn region in France, I went in search of the cuisine béarnaise.
This is very important for our wine walking mission. Both white wine and white wine vinegar are key ingredients in the sauce béarnaise.
First discovery! Like everywhere in France, French restaurants seem to be fading away. French towns and cities are increasingly dominated by pizzerias, Asian restaurants, Starbucks and McDonald’s.
Second discovery, even French restaurants increasingly serve “fusion cuisine”, that is, a blend of French and Asian cuisine. In fact, two days ago I had lunch in Jurançon, home of a great French white wine. The plat du jour in the typical French bistrot was indeed a fusion of Japanese and Korean cuisine. And the chef was a lady from Thailand (I met her on my way to the toilet).
Ultimately, I found a French restaurant in Pau which serves cuisine béarnaise dishes. But it did not have sauce béarnaise on its menu.
When I expressed my concerns to the staff, they introduced me to the chef (see photos), who agreed to prepare a sauce béarnaise for me. It was delicious (see photo).
But shock/horror. The chef also explained to me that the sauce béarnaise was not actually invented in Pau or the Béarn region. In point of fact, Chef Jules Colette at the Paris restaurant Le Pavillon Henri IV invented the sauce béarnaise in the 1830s. It was named béarnaise in Henry’s honor as he was born in Béarn and Henry was said to be something of a gourmet.
So what is the recipe for the sauce béarnaise?
It is a variation on hollandaise sauce. There are many recipes, but the main ingredients are – white wine vinegar, white wine, French shallots, tarragon, egg yolks, and butter. It is classically served on top of steak, but it also works with fish and shellfish
Bon Appétit!
Logistics
TGV fast train to Pau from Paris Montparnasse. Then take the funicular,