Cake Salé (savory cheese and herb bread)

Bless the French.  They know how to cook and eat, and they understand the importance of a little pre-dinner nibble.  Can I have an amen?  Sometimes that time period between lunch, home from work and dinner on the table is agonizing long.  The idea of a lovely glass of wine, or drink of your choice and a small little nibble–maybe some spiced nuts, or a small square or finger of this cake (really a quick bread) seems delightful.  If a Monday-Thursday approach seems too decadent, you could always save it for Friday or Saturday.  Or maybe banish the Sunday blues with a little late afternoon celebration.  This recipe was gifted to me by my lovely mother in law, who, while not French, still appreciates their sensibility of a good thing to eat with a glass of wine!

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Cake Salé

This is not a fussy recipe when it comes to the herbs.  You can substitute all sorts different options and come up with your preference of variations.  The first time I made this, I forgot the parsley.  Still great.  You can also use more or less of something if that is more to your liking.  The key here is getting a flavor profile that is complex and lovely to you.

Feel free to freestyle this quick bread even more--some finely chopped and crisp-cooked bacon or pancetta?  More of another type of cheese?  Add olives?  Yes, yes, and yes.  The idea is to have fun and use this as a base.  The ricotta, buttermilk, and parmesan will impart a great flavor and texture, so from there, feel free to ad lib to your liking.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 4 tablespoon butter melted
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup tightly packed grated Parmesan cheese plus 2 T grated cheese for the topping
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped or 1 T dried and crushed
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350. Butter a 9x5 bread loaf pan & set aside.

  2. In a large bowl whisk the flour baking powder and salt.

  3. In a medium bowl whisk eggs buttermilk melted butter ricotta cheese 1/2 c Parmesan cheese parsley chives rosemary thyme and a generous grind of pepper.

  4. Add the egg/cheese mixture to the flour mixture and using a spatula gently combine.  Pour/spoon into the pan and spread the dough evenly.

  5. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 45-50 minutes. Remove and brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 2T Parmesan cheese and bake another 10 -15 minutes. If the top of the loaf is too pale put under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.  The loaf is done when a toothpick comes out clean.  

    Remove loaf and cool on a rack for 15 minutes.