Makes 10 to 12 servings
This wonderful sweet and savory bread, called a “cake” in France, was
inspired by one I tasted at the salon de thé in the garden of the Musée
de la Vie Romantique in Paris. Chef and owner Didier Bertrand gave me his recipe, and I tweaked it just slightly until it came out, to my taste,
perfect. I do as the French do and serve this cake cut into small slices
as an apéritif, with a glass of chilled Savennières or a flute of
champagne.
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cups (200 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 mounded teaspoon sea salt
- 6 large eggs
- Mounded ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick/110 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 8 dried apricots (7 ounces/210 g), coarsely chopped
- 6 ounces (180 g) Gruyère or Emmental cheese, finely grated (2 cups)
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- Zest of 1 lemon, coarsely chopped
- Generous ¼ cup (about 60 g) almonds, lightly toasted, chopped
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter a loaf pan. Line it with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper, and dust it lightly with flour.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt onto another piece of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs until they are broken up and blended, then slowly whisk in the dry ingredients and the black pepper.
- Stir in the melted butter until it is thoroughly blended, then fold in the apricots, cheese, fennel seeds, lemon zest, and almonds, making sure the nuts are well distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, rap it sharply on a work surface to release any air bubbles, and bake in the center of the oven until the top of the bread is golden and a sharp knife stuck in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the oven and turn it out onto a wire cooling rack. After about 10 minutes, peel off the parchment paper. Let it cool and serve.
- This bread will keep for up to 3 days, carefully wrapped. Don’t refrigerate it, as refrigeration dries it out.
NOTE:
- Try to find unsulphured apricots for this bread—dark and plump, they offer a true apricot flavor.
