Savory Loaf Cake with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pistachios and Chorizo

Have you ever tried a savory loaf kind of like zucchini bread except not at all sweet? The French serve this savory cake (pronounced kek) at buffets or lunch, they bring it along for picnics or even serve it alongside aperitifs.  I was first introduced to this delicious loaf cake while in Provence with my sweet mom last September where we enjoyed it for lunch accompanied with a tossed salad. We recently had friends over for drinks on the deck, and I thought it would be perfect to serve with cocktails.

It is a very versatile "cake" that can be sliced to serve as an appetizer, as a hearty piece of savory bread with soup or salad for lunch, or even as part of a delicious breakfast with sauteed spinach and scrambled eggs. Not only does Clotilde Dusoulier have several recipes for savory cake in her Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook, but I also discovered another cookbook full of great recipes by Sophie Dudemaine called  Sophie's Sweet and Savory Loaves. Sophie says the recipe most people ask for is the Ham and Olive loaf- I am trying that one next time!

Savory Loaf Cake with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pistachios and Chorizo

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sesame seeds- one for the pan, one for topping

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk, greek style

3 1/2 ounces Spanish air-dried chorizo, chopped 

12 sun dried tomato halves packed in oil, drained and finely diced

3/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted

3/4 cups loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350° Butter a 9-inch  loaf pan and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, tilting the pan to distribute them.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and yogurt. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, stirring until barely incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently fold in the chorizo, tomatoes, pistachios, and parsley. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

 Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake just feels set in the center. Let cool for 15 minutes, then tilt it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.

Serving and storage: Once cool, cut the cake into thin slices and serve as is. Leftover cake should be wrapped snugly in plastic and will keep up to five days at room temperature.  Or you can freeze half the loaf and save it for unexpected guests!

Recipe from Chocolate and Zuccini by Clotilde Dusoulier

Provencal Birthday Lunch

I had such fun hosting a special birthday lunch for my friend CIndy earlier this week and found inspiration for the menu from the wonderful trip my mom and I took to France in September last year. We stayed at Le Lavadin in Provence where we enjoyed many delectable meals prepared by the proprietress, Georgia Perrin, as you can see in this post about the amazing breakfasts she served during our stay.

For our birthday lunch, I made two recipes that we enjoyed while at Le Levandin:  a delicious simple vegetable soup called Provencal Pistou that is served with a flavorful dollop of pesto to start, as well as a savory Tart Tartin a la Tomate . It is a pretty and colorful tomato tart with goat cheese, herbs de provence and olive tapenade that can be served warm or room temperature. 

The ladies at Cindy's birthday lunch just loved the simple green salad that was served along side the tart. The recipe for this salad came from my sweet friend, Liz, who made it for a dinner we shared at her home almost ten years ago (I still have the recipe printed from an email she sent me when I asked for it way back when). It is a very easy salad to make ahead- you put the dressing in the bottom of the bowl, add the lettuce top with herbs and let it sit until you are ready to serve it. Despite its simplicity, it tastes just delicious.

I got inspiration to make Ina's fabulous Chocolate Ganache Cake for dessert from my dear friend Abbie who has served this cake many times - she was right to describe it as very easy to make and incredibly rich and decadent, a perfect ending to a fun and celebratory lunch!

I just love getting inspiration from my friends, travels and all the other amazing blogs out there and hope you get some inspiration from me as well! It's fun to share!

The table was set with a tablecloth from Provence 

Provençal Pistou (Vegetable Soup with pesto)

Tarte Tatin a la Tomate

Simple Green Salad that is so delicious~

Chocolate Ganache Cake 

Happy birthday Cindy!

The cake was perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries

What a fun afternoon for us all

Follow the links for

Recipes for a Provençal Lunch~

(just click on the titles for a link to the recipes)

Provençal Pistou Soup

Tart Tatin a la Tomate

Simple Green Salad

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Lunch in Provence

Lunches in Provence at Le Lavandin were just as special as our wonderful breakfasts. A glass of crisp Rose wine accompanied most of our lunchtime meals. 

For our first lunch, Georgia served slices of chevre with delicious olive oil and rosemary and bay leaves from her garden. We got a kick out of her choice of accompaniment to the cheese- bugles! We just stuffed a little bit of herb-infused cheese inside the bugle and each bite was truly delicious!

The main course was Soupe au Pistou- vegetable soup with a dollop of pesto on top- healthy and satisfying! And then for a very refreshing last course, pear with St. Agur cheese and red peppercorns. We loved our Provencal meals~

Chevre with olive oil and fresh herbs

Ever thought of serving bugles with chevre? It works!

Soupe au Pistou

Pears with St. Agur cheese and red peppercorns

Breakfast in Provence

During our sojourn in France, my mom and I stayed at an amazing bed and breakfast called Le Lavandin. Situated thirty minutes east of Avignon, this beautiful spot had lavender fields, blooming rose bushes and hydrangeas, paths through the garden and even a labyrinth. The guesthouse was perfectly situated among olive trees and had a lovely deck with a great view. The owner of Le Lavandin, Georgia, is a very gracious and welcoming host, and provided all the guests of our retreat with incredible breakfasts each morning.
We would do our morning breathing exercises before walking along the the canal with the group and return to a table laid beautifully with flowers from the garden. There was different fruit as a first course each day along with coffee and french cream, tea, and a delectable assortment of fresh French baked goods and breads with delicious jams and lavender honey. After breakfast we would go outside and Sigrid Olsen would lead us in a wonderful creative activity and Martha Abbot would begin our morning of art with a thoughtful meditation exercise. It was truly an amazing week!

Sweet raspberries, blackberries and blueberries with rich french cream greeted us our first day.

Our baked good choices included a flaky pastry with almonds and powdered sugar as well as toasted pain de ble avec des noix (in the bundled basket keeping warm), which was my favorite drizzled with lavendar honey.

Rhubarb compote with Greek yogurt.

These choquettes, little airy puffs covered with crunchy nuggets of sugar, were amazing.

Juicy nectarine with a dollop of sweet thick cream- yum!

The croissants were amazing- light, airy and very buttery. Add some confiture de crises and you have a very tasty breakfast!

Laduree Macaroons from France!

My mom and I just returned from an amazing adventure together in France. We spent six lovely days at an art and yoga retreat in a wonderful bed and breakfast in Provence followed by four fun and full days in Paris. We discovered a Laduree shop known for their macarons close to our hotel in the San Germain district of Paris and were excited to try their famous cookies. 

I always thought macarons were made with coconut, and since I dislike coconut, I avoided them. While in France I learned that macarons are a sweet meringue-based confectionery made with egg whites, sugar, ground almonds and food coloring and that they are most commonly filled with buttercream or jam. Apparently it is the English macaroon that includes coconut, so once I tasted a French macaron, I was a total fan!  

Laduree has many choices of flavors and we brought home a selection in several boxes for our family to try. We did not realized that each little cookie at 1.5 euros a piece were $2.50 each. Therefore, each little bite is tres chere in more ways than one!

Ladurée Bonaparte (6th arrondissement )
21 Rue Bonaparte

Each window had such amazing displays

Look at all those flavors~ my favorite was Pistache

Just a few macarons that we brought home from Paris left...