The ham is salted and dried preparations traditional in many regions. In the South-west France, was prepared in the middle of winter, in all farms.
Bayonne ham is a specialty of the basin countries of the Adour. It's a ham meat dark red uniform with a thickness of fat varies. Cut into thin slices, it is based on the palate, delicate flavor and low salt

Salting: the cold winter

       The whole fresh hams are rubbed with salt the salt basin of the Adour.
       They are then covered with a thick layer of salt and placed in salting.

The rest: in the scullery

       The hams are hung in lounge, rest to recreate the winter weather and drying at low temperature.

Drying: hanging from the beam

       The hams are placed in dryers which will begin a long maturation in order to optimize the flavor, aroma and tenderness of the ham.

The troubleshooting: waiting to be consumed

       The troubleshooting (applied to the muscular parts of the ham with a mixture of pork fat and flour) allows a more gentle drying during the long ripening period ..

Refining: the time to maturity

       This is the final stage, where the ham will acquire all its qualities and reveal its personality: sweet, salt balanced aroma.

The survey

       After refining the survey involved: the hams are subjected to trial of the "nose" that will define their taste qualities ..
       The average production of a Bayonne ham is between 9 and 10 months, with a minimum of 7 months. For some hams, the larger the time of manufacture up to one year.

Serves 4 to 6 people :

Preparation 25 to 30 minutes
1 kg of endive or chicory,
1 lemon
2 v. S. liquid honey, (Me, I found that 1 in c s is enough)
3 c. S. olive oil,
2 eggs
4 ie s. cream,
25 cl milk
4 slices of Bayonne ham,
60g grated parmesan or chips,
1 pinch of salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 210 c th 7.
Place the endive in simmering salted water for 10 minutes, add sliced lemons in water.
Drain the endives and pass them to the pan with the honey and olive oil. Salt, pepper and let brown slightly.
In a bowl, mix eggs, cream and milk.
Butter a baking dish, place the endive there, then over the Bayonne ham, cut into strips of 2 cm. Pour the egg mixture over, then sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake approximately 20mn. Serve hot