Cheesy Courgette Bread AKA Zucchini Bread

Tags

bread, Cheese, courgette, savoury, zucchini

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This quick and delicious bread is about as easy as it gets.  No mixers, no kneading but here are a few little handy tips to ensure it turns out perfectly each time.

Firstly, you must squeeze all the water out of the grated courgette.  This is really important or your bread will not cook and will remain a sticky, dense mess stuck to the bottom of your pan.  Believe me, this happened to me the first time.  There is no need to peel the courgettes though. Use a box grater to grate the veggies then squeeze all the water out firstly with your hands then using a clean dish towel wrap the grated courgette in it and wring it out with all your might.  Now, measure that you have about 1 ½ cups, packed very tightly.

Regarding the cheese, use a strong cheese.  I used a vintage gouda or you could use an aged cantal or vintage cheddar, something with lots of flavour.
For the herbs, I used basil and chives from my garden but feel free to improvise and use what you have on hand.  If you do not have any fresh herbs handy, do not despair, a few teaspoons of dried herbs will do.

In this recipe I used milk and vinegar to basically make my own buttermilk as it is not always something I have around, especially in times of limited shopping and lockdown.  If you have buttermilk, use 1 cup of that and leave out the vinegar.  Otherwise making your own buttermilk is the easiest thing ever: for one cup of milk, (I used full fat but you may use low fat if you prefer), add 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, mix and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. How easy was that?

For an extra cheesy version, sprinkle the top of the loaf with a few tablespoons of cheese and place under the grill for a few minutes.
Freezes beautifully too.

Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups grated courgette (2 medium)
1 ½ cups grated cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (basil & chives)
2 cups / 250g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup / 250ml milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F
Spray a 23cm X 13cm (9″ x 5″) bread tin with non-stick cooking spray
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl
In another bowl, mix the milk and vinegar and allow to sit for a few minutes (or use buttermilk)
Add to the milk, the egg and butter and stir
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined – do NOT overmix
Add the courgette, cheese and fresh herbs
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
Allow the bread to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the tin
Remove from tin and place on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing
Add lots of butter and serve
Bon Appétit!

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Olive shortbreads / Sablé aux Olives Noires

Tags

aperitif, cocktail nibbles, cookies, olives, sablé, savoury, shortbread

 

These Sablé aux Olives Noires from Pierre Hermé Pastries take a lovely sablé / shortbread base and incorporates one of the most unexpected add-ins ever: oil-cured black olives and olive oil. Pierre Hermé is a french Pastry Chef who is famous for his macaroons, by the way. He often makes use of savory ingredients in his desserts: traces of balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, or olives in his cakes and layered dessert cremes. This is  an unlikely duo of sweet-buttery and salty-bitter that works in a way that’s innovative and elegant.

Makes about 50 sablés

Ingredients:

1 hard boiled egg, yolk only
2 1/4 cups flour
6 tablespoons potato starch (fécule de pomme de terre)
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel de Guérande (or other fine sea salt)
215 g / 15 tablespoons sweet butter
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup / 140 g  pitted olives, chopped roughly

Preparation:

Grate the hard boiled egg yolk, set aside
Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft and creamy
Add the olive oil
Add the egg yolk and mix well
Add the confectioners’ sugar
Add the rest of the dry ingredients, preferably sifted
Mix until all comes together
Add the olives and stir through
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface
Divide it into 3 and form logs
Wrap each log into plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight
The following day:
Preheat the oven to 160 C / 325 F
Remove one log from the refrigerator at a time and slice the log into slices about 1 cm / 1/3″ thick and arrange onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Bake for about 20 minutes until firm but not coloured
If using a traditional oven, rotate the baking sheets back to front and top to bottom once during baking
Transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely
Repeat with the next log (be sure the baking sheet is cool)
Serve with apéritif
Enjoy!

Note:The logs can be frozen for up to 2 months, there’s no need to defrost before slicing and baking.

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