Put 1 pound stewing beef in one piece in a kettle of water and bring it to a boil. Continue to boil for 20 minutes, skimming off the scum as it rises. Now add the stuffed chicken, 3 or 4 carrots, I small white turnip. 3 or 4 leeks, and 1 onion, all peeled and cut in large pieces, a bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf. 1 tablespoon salt, and 3 or 4 peppercorns. Lower the flame, cover the kettle, and let the poule simmer for about 3 hours, or until it is tender.
Toward the end of the cooking period, wash thoroughly 1 cup rice and cook it separately until it is soft in some of the simmering stock. Serve the rice with the chicken, accompanied by a small howl of tomato sauce. At the same or the following meal, serve the beautiful remaining clear soup, or consommé, with its vegetables, poured over pieces of toasted French bread.
La Broye
Corn meal is used in the Béarn to make a sort of porridge which is particularly good when cooled, cut in squares, and fried.
Use either the white or yellow meal, though white, of the Virginia waterground variety, is best. (Several old mills in New England have also revived this method of grinding meal between stones in the old-fashioned way, with results infinitely more delicious than ordinary commercial meal.)
Heat 2 ½ cups of vegetable stock which you have saved from cooking dried beans, Lima beans, cauliflower, spinach, or almost any vegetable except possibly cabbage. When it boils, pour a little of this stock over 1 cup corn meal. Stir hard to dissolve all lumps. Add the rest of the liquid gradually, put the pan back on the fire, and cook the porridge until thick, which only takes a few minutes. Spread it on a wooden board in a ½-inch layer, cool, cut in squares, and brown each side in bacon fat.
Haricots Verts Béanaise
For I pound of fresh green string beans use ½ cup shredded cooked ham and 2 ripe tomatoes.
Cook the green beans in the usual way until almost done, leaving them still firm. Drain the beans and add 1 good tablespoon goose fat (or bacon fat or butter), salt and pepper, the julienne of ham. and the tomatoes which have been peeled, Seeded, and cut in small dice. Add 1 clove garlic, chopped and mashed. Cover and cook slowly for about 6 minutes.
Omelette Bayonnaise
Beat 4 fresh eggs in a bowl with 2 tablespoons cold water and salt and pepper until they are well mixed but not too foamy. When the omelette pan is very hot, put in 1 generous tablespoon butter, run it smoothly over the entire surface of the pan, including the sides, and pour in the eggs. Cook for a few minutes, leaving the center moist, and before folding it over, fill with the following mixture already prepared:
Slice and cook lightly ¼ pound mushrooms in butter with ½ cup diced cooked ham. Mix in 1 generous tablespoon sour cream and a pinch of tarragon leaves and heat them all together.
Le Hacbua
Cut 1 ½ pounds of good stewing beef (bottom of the round) in small cubes not more than ¾ inch square.
Melt 3 tablespoons lard (or goose or bacon fat) in an iron pot, add 3 small onions, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, Chopped and mashed, ¾ cup finely diced ham, 1 generous tablespoon flour, a banquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, and salt and pepper.
Brown the beef cubes in this on all sides. Add 1 ¾ cups hot water or half water and half white wine. Cover the pot lightly and cook the beef in a 250° oven for about 2 ½ hours, or until the mc3t is tender. Half an hour before serving lebacbua, add 2 small green peppers cut in 1-inch pieces. The sauce should not be too plentiful or thin.
Tourin, or Soupe & I'Oignon
The onion soup of the Béarn has a distinctive flavor of its own, due to the herbs and a little vinegar which are added-as is not customary in most French onion soups.
Slice and chop rather finely 4 large or 5 smaller onions. Saute them in 2 generous tablespoons goose fat (or bacon drippings) over a medium (lame. Add ¾ tablespoon flour, salt and pepper, land 2 cloves garlic, chopped and mashed. and cook until all is golden, being careful not to burn. Put in a large sprig of parsley, a good pinch of thyme, and 1 tablespoon tarragon wine vinegar.
Add 2 quarts water or stock from cooked vegetables and simmer for ¾ hour, or until the stock is reduced to about 1 ½ quarts. Stock from cooking vegetables is best, but a can of consomme with the water will do nicely.
The restaurants of the Béarn and the Basque country, in keeping with the other attractions, are above the average. Here is a partial list of noteworthy places in the Béarn:
Pau
Long a favored haunt of the hunting set, this aristocratic town has several good hotels, golf clubs, and self-respecting restaurants. Among the latter are: RôTISSERIE PéRBIGOURDINE, 6 rue Adoue, facing the church. This pleasant, terraced restaurant is supervised closely by Monsieur Bonnaure, a gifted cuisinier with an appreciation of regional cookery. You are certain to find some of these specialties on his menu: garbure, tournedos Rossini, entrecôte grillé béarnaise, foie gras au Porto, and pécbe Melba.
L'ETRIER, place Royale, across from the Hôtel dc Ville. You may taste here such local delicacies as trout, poulet sauté basquaise, and foie gras truffé. If you want a supreme climax. Monsieur Orth provides a fine soufflé Grand Marnier.
LE ROMANO, 1 bis rue des Orphelins. A comfortable, small restaurant decorated in Basque style and directed by an accomplished chef, Monsieur Duprat. You will certainly like his croustade dc foie gras an truffes and his steaks and chickens prepared in the Basque manner. This is a good place to try those beguiling Jurançon wines.
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