“Artzaina”: the Basque hamburger that Hélène Darroze is making for home delivery in Paris

Hélène Darroze is a chef who was born in Mont-de-Marsan, in Landes, New Aquitaine, has become one of the most prestigious chefs not only in France, but also in the whole world.  She has restaurants in Paris, the Marsan and the Joià, and she is the chef at the restaurant that bears her name at The Connaught hotel in London. Between all of these restaurants, she has collected enough Michelin stars to become one of the only French chefs with multiple active stars.  In 2015, she was named the best chef in the world.  And best of all, she loves Basque cuisine and the products that come from our country.

All this has meant that she is regularly featured in the media, but that’s not why we’re mentioning her today, as important as that is.  We are “in love” with this chef, without ever having had the pleasure of trying a bite of one of her dishes, though we do a dit a visit to the Jóia is on our bucket list.

Our “love affair” started in 2015 when she was interviewed in the Culinary section of The Guardian.  In the interview, she was asked what her “last meal” would be.  She replied that she’d choose the Basque Country.  She chose Bidart specifically, just above Uhabia Beach, overlooking the Bay of Biscay and the Pyrenees.

Since then, we’ve come across her on several occasions: recommending places to visit in San Sebastian; cooking at the Victoria Eugenia Hotel; or recommending her favorite burger at the Badia at the Grand Hôtel Thalasso in Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

And it would seem that that whole thing about recommending hamburgers wasn’t just talk.  It would seem that in these strange times in which half the bars and restaurants across Europe are closed, she’s decided to take inspiration from Basque cuisine and products to prepare hamburgers to be delivered to homes from her Joià restaurant in Paris.

And when we say Basque products, we’re talking about both sides of the Pyrenees: Basque beef, Basque goat’s cheese, Basque chili and poquillo peppers, and the extraordinary Espelette pepper.  The burger is so Basque, its name is Artzaina (shepherd).

And that’s not the only option Parisians have to choose from.  There’s also one called the Joià, another called the Pantxoa, and a fourth called the Amatxi.  And if that weren’t enough, for dessert, you can choose a txapela cookie or a traditional Basque chcheesecake. 

The cooking show “La Table des Bons Vivants”, hosted by Laurent Mariotte on the Franco-Swiss radio station Europe 1, shared the recipe.  We’ll leave it here, should you care to give it a try!

Thank you, Hélène Darroze!!!

On egin!!!

Europe 1 – 14/11/2020 – France

Le burger raffiné Artzaina au brebis basque d’Hélène Darroze

Dans l’émission de Laurent Mariotte “La table des bons vivants”, la cheffe étoilée Hélène Darroze a révélé les secrets de sa recette de burger au fromage de brebis. Pour se régaler ce week-end en famille.

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Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country