San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Repertoire
Bring the aroma of toasting cheese home with versatile and rich yet unfussy cake salé
A rich, cheesy savory bread beckons.
Twenty or so years ago I spent a summer in France, working at a cooking school in Burgundy. I am a quick study when it comes to food, and it didn’t take me long to get into a routine that included weekly trips to the market for oozing rounds of Camembert, crackly baguettes and punnets of wild strawberries. Often reluctant to return to my duties at the school, where the work was not easy and the days were long, I’d often detour on the way back, dropping into the cafe on the corner for a short pour of white wine and a slice of cake salé (sahlay).
Cake salé, a sturdy savory quick bread (salé means salty), is the sort of nofrills snack you want in your repertoire. It requires no mixer or special skills, and is incredibly versatile, a recipe that accommodates the bits and bobs you might have in your fridge. Like another French favorite, the savory puffs known as gougères, cake salé is rich with cheese and eggs, but unlike gougères, which are a bit fiddly to make, this is baked in a loaf pan, unfussy. It’s a perfect cocktail snack — cheese, charcuterie and olives in one lovely package! And while it has a tender crumb, owing to the large amount of olive oil, it’s a sturdy loaf, one that could accompany you on a picnic.
The cake salé I ate most often in France was filled with Gruyère, cubed ham and olives, but there are myriad other versions, some with salami or bacon in place of the ham; others with dried fruit or nuts; Parmesan or Gouda or cheddar or goat or blue cheese could be substituted for Gruyère. I’ve always been particularly fond of the combination of mortadella and green olives, the sweetness of the mortadella offset by the briny olives. Aged provolone, together with buttermilk, give this cake salé a pleasant tang, and scallions and fresh thyme deepen the flavor. Because the cake is rich with eggs and oil, dayold loaves, thinly sliced and toasted, have a compelling second life.
Best of all, as it bakes this cake will fill your home with the smell of toasting cheese, one of the best fragrances, an aroma that lured my wife from her home office with the question, “Is it time for a glass of wine?”
Cake Salé With Mortadella & Green Olives Makes one 9by5inch loaf
Consider this recipe a template — you can substitute the mortadella with ham, salami, cooked bacon (or omit it altogether for a vegetarian version), swap the provolone for another cheese, use black olives in place of green (brined or oil-packed are both fine), add dried fruit or nuts, replace the scallions with chives. If you choose to use provolone, look for aged provolone, called provolone piccante, which is sharp and salty; the sliced variety used for sandwiches doesn’t have a sufficiently assertive character.
Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup finely chopped scallions (about 5 scallions)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch red pepper flakes
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large eggs
4 ounces mortadella, diced into
1⁄3-inch cubes (1 cup)
3 ounces provolone piccante, grated (1½ cups)
½ cup coarsely chopped pitted
green olives
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange a rack in the center. Generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, scallions, thyme, baking powder, salt, baking soda, pepper and red pepper flakes. In a separate medium bowl or measuring cup whisk together the buttermilk, olive oil and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and use a rubber spatula to combine. Fold in the mortadella, 1 cup of the grated provolone and the olives until well combined, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup provolone evenly over the top.
Transfer to the centered oven rack and bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan and let cool completely. Because the cake contains a large amount of olive oil it will keep, well-wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days, or can be sliced and frozen for longer storage (up to one month). Leftover slices are especially good toasted, or the bread can be cubed, toasted and used as croutons.