- By Admin
- December 06, 2023
Text by Mégane Fleury, photographs by Doud, with contribution from JULIEN LEROY
From the mouth of the Gironde to that of the Adour, in the South-West the coast has a name: the Côte d'Argent.
Coined at the beginning of the 20th century, this name is thought to refer to the silver reflections of the sun on the water. This region of the Landes is also known for its pine trees, long beaches and waves. Among the remarkable sites,
there is notably the Dune du Pilat, in the Arcachon basin. These emblematic sites are likely to have inspired the Mimizan pastry chef some twenty years ago: he is the author of the recipe for the Côte d'Argent, a traditional pastry from the region. There are differing opinions on who is officially behind this recipe, but one thing’s for sure, he had a shop in the coastal town of Landes.
ONE PASTRY, MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS
In its original form, the cake consists of a sponge cake, soaked in rum and garnished with a mousseline cream with pine nuts, decorated with meringue and blackened with a blowtorch. “It looks a bit like a log,” specifies Julien Leroy, Baker – pastry chef in Ychoux (40). I don't know where the idea came from but I find that its shape is a bit reminiscent of dune du Pilat, then at the top, the meringue roughly spread with a spatula, could make you think of sand being blown or sea foam.” As for the pine nuts, from the umbrella pine, they can be harvested in the region.
HOW DOES JULIEN LEROY REVISIT THE CÔTE D’ARGENT?
The former restaurant pastry chef discovered this specialty when he arrived in the region. "The traditional recipe is a baker's dessert, I chose to rework it in my own way, while keeping the same flavours and most of the ingredients.” Specifically, he replaced the Genoise sponge with almond dacquoise cake, which he garnishes with a Bourbon vanilla mousse and an amber rum crème brûlée filling, sprinkled all over with pine nuts, both inside and out. “I roast the pine nuts before using them, by putting them in the oven this prevents them from burning when I pass the blowtorch over the cake to finish.” This last step allows you to give the Italian meringue a little colour.
“Piping the meringue is one of the more technical steps: I do it on a record player, and you have to either start from the top and work your way back down, or do the opposite, but it must be very smooth, and well chilled. I recommend finishing the assembly as quickly as possible in order to avoid air bubbles.” He pipes it with a nozzle that’s fairly narrow, so that there is only one thin layer of meringue around the cake. On the whole, Julien Leroy believes that the recipe does not present any major technical difficulty. “There are different textures, which can be visually quite interesting when it comes to cutting it.”
TRADITIONAL CAKE, WITH LASTING SUCCESS
Most of the time, the Côte d'Argent is presented in the form of small logs, but the pastry chef claims the log can easily be reworked slightly for new year celebrations. "In any case, it's a product that works very well for us, sometimes you have to explain to customers what it's all about, but I enjoy discussing our products", he explains All year round, the chef and his team offer Côtes d’Argent in different sizes, and they never stay in stock for very long: “We sell between 80 and 120 items a week.”
WHAT OTHER SPECIALITIES DOES THE LANDES HAVE TO OFFER?
But this is not the only regional speciality offered by Julien Leroy to his customers. He also makes pastis landais, a fairly dense brioche, flavored with orange blossom and anise. This recipe is thought to have come about in the 17th century, when it would have been prepared for special occasions using a bread oven.
The bakers and pastry chefs of the region also uphold the tradition of apple crisp, also known as tourtière: this is an apple pie made by stacking thinly spread layers of buttered and sweet dough. This dough is sometimes nicknamed the "bridal veil", since it is so fine you can see through it. The recipe is traditionally garnished with apples, sometimes replaced by prunes, and flavored with Armagnac, a local alcohol. Also known for their savory specialities, such as foie gras, Adour salmon or even asparagus, the Landes region is is undeniably rich in gastronomy.
Julien Leroy
Baker – pastry chef in Ychoux
Julien Leroy has been based in Ychoux (40) for almost eight years. Prior to this, he worked for more than 15 years in various luxury hotels and starred restaurants. His last position was pastry chef at Benoît Violier, a three-star chef in Crissier near Lausanne. In Ychoux, he offffers bakery and pastry products. In 2019, his traditional baguette was voted best in Aquitaine, a welcome reward for this self-taught baker. But his boutique is also known for his pièces montées (mounted pieces) and wedding cakes, of which he is one of the few to make in the sector. The artisan also likes to create special breads, always quite rustic with beautiful crusts: his hunter's bread contains sausage and grilled hazelnuts and is flflavored with red wine, and at Halloween, he has been known to offffer pumpkin and beetroot bread.
Sources: - https://www.tourismelandes.com/pastis-legateau- landais/
- https://www.nouvelle-aquitaine-tourisme. com/fr/foret-des-landes-armagnac/recettede-terroir-la-tourtiere-landaise
- https://www.guide-des-landes.com/fr/selonmes-envies/gourmande/article-les-specialiteset-produits-du-terroir-incontournables-deslandes-90.html - https://www.cairn.info/revue-le-temps-desmedias-2007-1-page-105.htm