Gateau Basque Tart

A Gateau Basque is a cake filled with pastry cream or cherry preserves.
It's a pretty big deal in the Basque Country, they even have a Gateau Basque Museum
For the OG classic recipe I direct you to the Gateau Basque Museum recipe here.
I like to make this tart version which is just a gateau Basque in a tart shell. This goes great with tea and accordion music.

Gateau Basque Tart

For the cake mixture
1 cup almond meal
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Sugar
½ pound butter
3 eggs yolks
3 whole eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
zest of one lemon
zest of one orange

Cream the butter and sugar together with the zest. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Mix in the dry ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the pastry cream
4 cups milk
2 vanilla beans
¾ cup flour
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Rum
¼ pound butter

Scrape the vanilla bean and combine the seeds and bean with the milk in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a scald and turn off heat. Let steep for one hour. Combine all the remaining ingredients, except the butter in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Temper in the milk and return to the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, whisky constantly until the cream thickens. About 8 minutes. Spread out on a pan and cover with plastic, making sure that the plastic touches the surface of the pastry cream. Chill for 30 minutes.

For the tart dough
¾ pound butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
½ cup yogurt
4 cups all purpose flour

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until the mix is smooth and creamy. Add the flour and pulse until the dough forms a ball. Form the dough into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for a few hours. Roll the dough out to 1/8” thick and line a tart pan with the dough. Chill for 30 minutes.

Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream and then top with the cake mixture.

bake at 385 degrees F until golden and baked through. Allow to cool before removing from tart pan.

Tune: Give Dub the Praises by Basque Dub Foundation from the BDF Meets Loud and Lone album (2002)

Tune: Slaving by Basque Dub Foundation also from BDF Meets Loud and Lone

Tune: Dub Contra MTV [Mad Professor Mix] also by BDF from the 1997 album Sustraidun Roots Dub

BDF and The Mad Prof are against MTV. Well, Frank Zappa was against TV period, in this song.

Tune: I'm The Slime by Frank Zappa from Overnight Sensation Sorry folks, no Accordion here, but I am sure Zappa has recorded the accordion on one of his 50+? albums?
Tune: Caprice Basque performed by an unknown artist and composed by Pablo Sarasate, who was born in the historical capital of the Basque country, Pamplona in the Spanish state of Navarra. He is famous for writing music that is impossible to play. But Pablo himself could play anything.

The basque country was the only place in Spain not to be conquered my the Moors or the Visigoths

Tune: Te Quiero Bilbaina by Triki-Triki from the Basque Country. About a girl from Bilbao. From the CD On the Secret Museum of Mankind which I guess was named after the mysterious book

Not sure where the group got it's name from? But I think there could be a mistake in the liner notes and the group may have been called Trikitixa and not Triki Triki. Trikitixa is the name for a type of basque musical ensamble and also the name of the accordian used in these ensambles. Although both words are suggested to be onomatopoeic terms. trikitixa for the sound of the tamborine. Triki triki is a slang word for condom and maybe it stems from the word trikitixa. Maybe triki triki was a slang word for trikitixa at the time of the recording and hence the name of the group.

There is a safe sex campaign in Argentina that uses a cumbia song and video to encourage the youth to use protection. "Sin Triki Triki, No Hay Bang Bang!"

Download the song and watch the video on there site.

Looks like Trikitixa is still alive and well, even among the Basque youth. Here's some trikitixa that's raw as punk and fly as hip hip. Could Trikitixa go as hipster globalista as Cumbia has? You heard it here first. Seriously.

Now that's a real Soul Cocina.

Just another story of how the squeeze box has traveled from Germany and beyond to become the foundation of musical styles around the globe from forró to vallenato, polka to perico ripiao.














Tunes: Fogo De Amor and Voce Ta Mais Bonita by Trio Nordestino














Tune: Que Importa by Lucha Reyes
In Peru this style of music is called vals which is the Peruvian version of waltz.














Tune: Caña Brava by Luis Kalaff y sus Alegres Dominicanos
Luis Kalaff was just honored with a lifetime achievement award in New York this month.



Tune: Guallando (12" extended version) by Fulanito
















Tune: la cumparsita by unknown artist from japanese comp of the 30 best songs from Argentina.
Tango














Accordion kid in Turkey

Accordion kid in Greece

Galaktaboureko is a glorious Greek dessert that is easy to make.

Simply make a custard by steeping citrus zest or vanilla bean in 4 cups of milk for one hour.

In mixing bowl combine 3/4 cup of sugar with 4 eggs, 3/4 cup of semolina flour, and a pinch of salt.

Whisk the semolina egg mixture into the milk and simmer for 5 minutes over medium low heat. Continue to whisk as it cooks.

In a pie pan lay a sheet of filo down and brush with melted butter, leaving part of the sheet hanging over the edge of the pan. Layer 3 or 4 more sheets with a brush of butter between sheets. The filo should cover the sides of the pan and hang over one side.

Add the semolina custard to the pan and wrap the filo over the custard. Cut a few more sheets of filo to fit over the top of the custard. Cover with 2 - 3 sheets with butter between each sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F until golden.

Galaktoboureko is very similar to Bougatsa. there's a recipe that works well for bogatsa at the Whipped site.

Beyond Greece (that's relative to from where you may be reading this, but from my calicentric view... beyond), the accordion is also popular in Asia

Musica Clip: Damak by Senang Beru Ginting Suka and Syaiful Amri Nasution from the Smithsonion Folkways CD Music of Indonesia, Vol. 11: Melayu Music of Sumatra and the Riau Islands (musical clip via UMBC)

The accordion (along with just about every other musical instrument and style on earth) is featured in a bunch of Hindi film songs.

Tune: Mere Huzoor is a nice little ditty by Enoch Daniels from the Delightful Dozen - Hindi Film Hits on Accordion LP














Tune: Hum Matwale Naujawan by Kishore Kumar from the film Shararat














Tune: Al Mere Bete also sung by Kishore Kumar from the film Aa Gale Lag Ja, not only features the accordion, but also something that sounds like a Güiro With R.D. Burman as composer.. anything goes.














Tune: Rain Dogs by Tom Waits featurs an eerie Transilvania sounding accordion to open up the wonderful album from 1985 called Rain Dogs. The opening tune goes on to feature marimba, trombone, and some great lyrics.


...And now on to the harmonium
Tune: Bride of Raindog finds Tom Waits on the Harmonium. Not to be confused with Ben Franklin's glass armonica


In India the harmonium is a common instrument.
The harmonium is similar to the accordian, although not exactly related. Movement of the bellows causes air pressure to be pushed through the reeds of a harmonium, unlike the classic reed organ, that sucks air through the reeds to produce sound. With accordions the bellows move air back and forth creating pressure and vacuum, moving air across the internal reeds and producing sound by their vibration.
When I was in Vengurla, Sindhudurg, in southern coastal Maharashtra I stayed with a family in village called Mutt. The kids played the harmonium a lot. Here is a video, first of a harmonium that they pump with the hand. The second video shows a harmonium that is pumped with the foot.







The harmonium has replaced the Sarangi in Qawwali music.
Tune: Ae Khuda Iltejh Hai Meri by Gulam Farid Maqbool Sabri Qawwal & party














Tune: Kahe Dasi Ko Khwaja Bhulai Deeno by Shankar Shambhu Qawwal














...and to finish the trio of qawwali songs, it is my pleasure to present the sounds of the late great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Tune: Kehna Ghalat To Chhupana Sahi Sahi by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Qawwal Party

Reggae n' Soul

Here are a bunch of tunes that I am considering to use in the next Soul Pon Babylon Mix.

The theme is Reggae + Soul.

This could include lovers rock reggae, soul singers playing reggae songs, reggae singers doing soul songs, remixes of soul acapellas over reggae riddims, or just plain soulful reggae songs or reggaefied soul songs. And just a touch of soulful hip hop with reggae will be allowed in the mix.

The list of records and MP3's I have collected that fall into this category would make over a dozen 70 minute mixes. So I have to shave down the selections to the good stuff. Here are a bunch of tunes that I am considering for the mix.

Tune: the tune from above is yet another version of Busta's Wooaahaaaah! Got you in check tune. This time on the Stix record label. And the mixmaster artist is credited in the above pic. These guys have a nice list of hip hop vocals over reggae riddim tunes out there. Check the reggae version of Kelis' Bossy to appear on the Soul Pon Babylon mix.

What's Busta up to these days?
Check his Arabesque?!? tune up now at Mudd Up.


Tune: Side A from the above 7" again on Stix records by the same mash master as the first tune.


Tune: tune from above 7" on the Bombist record label by another French team. Bost & Bim. These guys also have nuff reggae/soul/hip hop remixes, and most of them are pretty great.



Tune: Drop it On from above 12" mixed by Friendly Rasta on the Drop Leaf Riddim
and more from Erykah.....


Tune: Honey (DJ Day Mix)
This tune is a lot more soul, and just a tiny touch of reggae, so it might not make the cut. The reggae feel comes from the bass line and the smooth rolling sound that feels dubbed out. I'd like to hear a dub version of this mix. There are dozens of remixes of this tune out there. Captain Planet and J Blow who happen to be two blogger producer/djs are responsible my favorite mixes of this tune, along with this sweet DJ Day version.


I really enjoy the entire New Amerykah Album and the Erykah Badu show in Oakland this summer was a musical highlight of the year for me.

Tune: Milk and Hony feat. Hollie Cook by Prince Fatty


Tune: My. Favorite. Song. Right. Now. info in above photo.
I play this tune a few times a day.


Tune: Feelin Free features Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators vs. The Dynamics
The Dynamics pretty much specialize in Reggae Soul. Look for a tune or two from these cats on the Soul Pon Babylon mix.

Tune: Come Over by Estelle ft Sean Paul

and here is a remake of the other popular Estelle tune....

Tune: Boy from the Island of Jamaica by these talented chaps.



Tune: Side B from the above 7"
Many of these songs are mash ups of existing reggae riddims with soul and hip hop acapellas mixed in. But it sounds like this instrumental was built specifically for Jimi's vocals. Not sure.

Here is another Reggae Jimi Hendrix tune. This time it is a cover version of The Wind Cries Mary
Tune: The Wind Cries Mary by Hopeton Lewis a Jamaican gospel singer.

Tune: Hurry On Now by Alice Russel

Tune: Love is Stronger than Pride (Mad Professor Mix) by Sade

Tune: Ain't Gonna Change My Mind is the answer to Alton Ellis' tune Change of Plan by Doreen Schaefer

Tune: How Long Do I Have To Wait (Ticklah remix) by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Sharon Jones pic courtesy of Under The radar Mag
Under the radar protest sign auction

Tune: Si Hecho Palante feat. Mayra Vega by Ticklah's
remember all the periods I placed after announcing my favorite song right now... well that was a few minutes ago. Si Hecho Palante is my. favorite. song. right. now.
Nice piano. Great vocals.. percussion, horns... reverb in the right spots. Solid lyrics.
Ticklah has put out some of my favorite songs in a while. This tune will not be on the Soul pon Babylon mix... it will be on the next Spanish Soul Reggae mix called Sol Pon Babylonia!

If you are in the Bay Area, come out to Bollyhoodthis weekend for some Sol Pon Babylonia w/ EKG, Rajah and Santero

Tune: Baby Love (I Plant Blacksoul Dub Mix) by The Supremes
Get I Plant's entire cd of soul reggae mixes here

Tune: Love Me So Bad by Lyrics Born

Ambot tik

On my search for a great Ambot Tik recipe I have met many great chefs, and I have bought lots of dried chillies, kokum, tamarind, shark, and toddy vinegar at many different markets around Goa.Kokum and tamarind for sale at the Panjim market (above)
Teppal (above), goes by many different names along the Konkan Malvan coast. Durring the monsoons the thorny branches of the plant produce a small green berry that is dried and used in curries with oily fish. When dried, the skin splitys open and the seed is discarded. It has an earthy lemon/pepper aroma and a little goes a long way. It is unlike any other spice, but many compare it to Sechuan pepper and juniper berry.
Kokum is an essential ingredient in Ambot Tik.

Ambot Tik Masala

Teppal 1 teaspoon
Kokum ¼ cup
Garlic 4 cloves
Peppercorn 1 tablespoon
Cumin seed 2 tablespoons
Cloves 2 each
Cinnamon 1/2 small stick
Coriander seed 4 tablespoons
Dry red chile 1 cup
Tamarind small ball
Ginger ½ inch, grated
Turmeric 2 teaspoons
Salt ¼ cup
Coconut toddy vinegar 1 ½ cups

Grind all the ingredients in a mortar and pestal. Grind with enough vinegar to form a smooth paste. Add water and simmer shark or oily fish with one piece of kokum, diced tomato, and a few slices of onion in curry until succulent. Serve with Goan red boiled rice.

Enjoy the latest Soul Cocina Video that follows the life of a fish from sea to net to boat to dock to basket to porter to truck to taxi to train to truck to bike to cart to market to bike to home to pan to tiffin to tiffinwalla to work to plate to belly.

EL PEZ

Tune: Too Many Fish in the Sea mashed/mixed by DJ B. Cause takes a De La Soul cut produced by Prince Paul and mixes it with The Marvelettes' tune by the same name. Oooh!

Tune: Sirens of the Dead Sea by Erik Sumo




Finally caught up with one of SF's Brasilian music scholars at the last night of Mission Bombay and he filled us in on the title and artist of the mystery tune from a few posts ago.

Mystery Tune: Funk Do Brasil Track 17 from the Soulsalaam mix circa 1999 is Jacaranda by Luiz Bonfá from the Jacaranda album.

But we already figured out the mystery thanks to the help of Señor OZ, who said the Jacaranda album is one of his favorites of all time with a supporting cast of heavy hitters like Ray Barretto, Idris Muhammad, Eumir Deodato and Airto Moreira.

Tune: Don Quixote also from Luis Bonfa's Jacaranda album. Get the 8-track

Check out Señor OZ and Pleasuremaker tonight (Thursday) at their weekly party in SF at The Elbo Room called Afrolicious as they host two of the worlds greatest DJ/Producers, [dunkelbunt] and Sabo

Download a Sabo set here.

And enjoy a [dunkelbunt] mix here.

Tune: Street Walkin' (Five years on) by Pleasuremaker

Soul Cocina Kids!

Cooking with kids at home (above) and at the San Francisco Ferry Building (below)

Every year Hands on Gourmet teams up with The Junior League of San Francisco (JLSF) and CUESA for “Kids in the Kitchen”. It is an event to inspire children to think about the foods that they eat and to encourage the kids to get excited about healthy food that tastes great. The program has been designed to help our communities address the urgent issues surrounding childhood obesity and poor nutrition.
At an event a few years ago my team made fruit beignets. The kids had a great time dipping the fruit into the batter. Some kids combined a few different fruits within a single beignet, creating there own custom made creations. The beignets were a great way to get the children to work with fresh ingredients and to see how a homemade batter can be transformed into a wonderful treat.

Tune: Inner City Blues by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Tune: Tarik by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble who make New Orleans Brass music and more out of NYC and Chicago.

More from HBE here.

Tune: Ain't Got A Home by Clarence "Frogman" Henry

Tune: Dippermouth Blues by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Tune: Mama Roux by Dr John

For more Crescent City sounds, head on over to Home of the Groove
The children working with Mike C from Kitchen on Fire made homemade macaroni and cheese. It was a lot of fun working with the kids.

Beet Root Bhaji

A bhaji is an Indian vegetable stir fry.

I am planning on making my version of beet root bhaji for Sunday's Soul Cocina Feast
When I was going through my notes for the menu, I began to crave this dish, so I made a small sample for lunch.

Beet Root Bhaji

Toast grated coconut over low heat in a saute pan until the coconut turns golden.

Heat virgin coconut oil in a hot pan and add kalonji seeds and sesame seeds.

When sesame seeds turn golden, add curry leaves, minced garlic, minced tumeric and minced ginger along with a few chopped chile peppers.

Saute over medium heat until curry leaves are nicely toasted. add boiled or roasted chopped beets (I used chiogga and yellow beets that were roasted in the oven at 325 degrees with olive oil and salt until tender).

Season and enjoy.

This recipe is popular in Goa and Maharashtra where the kalonji and sesame seeds are replaced with mustard seeds and other spices like cumin and coriander. They often used grated beets and cook with the coconut and spices plus a little water to cook the beets instead of using precooked, boiled or roasted beets.

I love the original version with mustard seeds. But it's nice to bust out the kalonji seeds for this recipe. Whenever I use this spice, I have to listen to the sounds of Sizzla Kalonji.

Tune: A Wha Dat (remix) by Sizzla Kalonji


Tune: Los Borrachos de Babylon by Negro Moreno blending Sizzla Kalonji and Los Barriletes
Check out CABEZA for more fire from Negro Moreno.


Tune: Armed and Dangerous by Sizzla Kalonji on the Tabla riddim


Tune: Can't Stop Me Now by Sizzla Kalonji on the crazy Kasablanca riddim
I picked up a bunch of records on this riddim a few years ago at the now defunct Wisdom Records (R.I.P.) and there are some wacky themes and lyrics on most of the tunes that ride this riddim.

The kalonji bush grows from Indonesia to Turkey and Italy.

T U R K E Y

Tune: Lambaya Püf De by Barış Manço

Tune: Tavuklara Kiss De (An odd version of Lambaya Püf De) by Barış Manço

Tune: Estarabim by Erkin Koray

Tune: Dolana by Mustafa Ozkent Orchestra

I T A L Y
Tune: Le radici ca tieni by Sud Sound System

I N D O N E S I A
Tune: Terang Bulan by Sahilin & Siti Rohmah

Tune: Stambul Lamba by Gambang Kromong Slendang Betawi and directed by Ustari.