This week's recipe is a savory bread, or cake salé as it is known in France. Since I made a banana nut bread a few nights ago, I decided not to make a cheese and chive bread loaf, but instead made cheese and chive muffins.
I used a cup of sharp cheddar cheese and added 2 ounces of very small cubed Emmenthal cheese and since I had some leftover toasted walnuts I also added those to the mixture. The walnuts were an optional ingredient, but I wanted to find out how they would taste in a savory bread recipe. And like all quick breads, this batter was easy to put together.
I baked the muffins for about 20 minutes and they came out perfectly - lightly golden and very fragrant.
But most important, these little cheddar chive bites were delectable. The cheddar and swiss cheeses melded perfectly together and the chives gave the muffins a pungent flavor without being overwhelming. The walnuts were a crunchy surprise with each bite and added a nice, mellow woody flavor to the muffin.
I will definitely make these again and I'd like to try some of Dorie's other add-in suggestions as well as experiment with some combinations of my own. This is just such a great savory quick bread recipe. Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the other members did with this week's recipe.
You can find this recipe on pp. 34-36 in Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.
Next French Friday: Beggar's Linguine
I love that you made muffins! I was contemplating that AFTER I had already slid the loaf pan in the oven. Your idea makes the bread much more portable!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of turning this into muffins, too! -- especially since the crusty cheesy ends of the loaf were the best part.! They look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI like the muffin idea! They look perfectly golden brown! Love all the add ins!!
ReplyDeleteLove the muffin concept - that would make a perfect dinner side. Those muffin tins remind me of some that were passed to me from my grandma - it made me smile.
ReplyDeleteYour muffins are scrumptious, Elaine! Love those crisp edges.
ReplyDeleteHow gorgeous! I love the thought of using Swiss with the cheddar!
ReplyDeleteThey are so cute! I would like to try the walnuts, but the hubbles hates them. I could make half a batch with and half a batch without if I used this idea! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMuffins look very flavourful, and there is a whole bunch of it, should last for a day or two:)
ReplyDeleteElaine, Love the muffin idea! They look awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou go! I don't know why it would be but I suspect that this bread would be better as muffins! How clever of you to realize this!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to do muffins! Your bread looks tasty.
ReplyDeleteI love your little muffins! We told the nephew this morning that it was a muffin so he would eat it. Sneaky auntie. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love your muffins! The are beautiful and fun. I enjoyed this recipe and have plans for different ingredients and I like the cupcake idea.
ReplyDeleteLove the muffin with the pat of butter on top! They look perfect, Elaine! :)
ReplyDeleteThese really sound perfect. There's been a lot of "sweet" in my diet lately and the thought of savory muffins is most appetizing. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteSo, so, beautiful and they sound just delicious! I like the muffin idea.. I'm all for indicidual servings! Thanks for sharing, Elaine! I may have to get this recipe and give them a try.
ReplyDeleteThey look fantastic as muffins (and the photos are lovely). What a great way to serve them. I like the mix of cheeses you used, too.
ReplyDeleteMuffins were a wonderful idea...yours look just perfect :)
ReplyDeleteElaine, your muffins look scrumptious! Love that you made muffins instead of a loaf--brilliant. And your photos are gorgeous. Also am loving the beautiful green color of your blog :) Have a wonderful weekend! xo
ReplyDeleteThe muffins look awesome. What a great idea because the crust was so nice and cheesy!
ReplyDeleteMuffins are a great idea and yours look good!
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you made muffins! Did they keep well? I felt the loaf dried out quickly.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful muffins! I like how you added the walnuts - I be they gave a unique flavor! I love the idea of a quick bread as "savory" - looks wonderful Elaine!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for your kind comments!
ReplyDelete@Ms. Hobby - yes, the muffins were just as moist the next day. I also froze some so I am hoping they will taste just as good later.
Wonderful post - great photos and info shared. I never heard of "cake sale" before. That's what I love about all the FFWD posts ! Nana and I had fun with this one and each had different results but we were both happy it was so easy. Next week should be an adventure for sure...
ReplyDeleteWow - those muffins look fantastic! It's a perfect way to enjoy the wonderfully crunchy exterior. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteElaine, I was thinking about making muffins, but decided that adding ham and scallions, and omitting walnuts and white pepper was enough of a "variation" on my part:)
ReplyDeleteThe muffins look great, though, and next time I'll make them.
We all loved the recipe, too, and I am looking forward to making it with different ingredients.
Your muffins look so elegant!
ReplyDeleteMmm I really want to eat that one with the dollop of butter on top:)
ReplyDeleteLooks great!
What a great idea to make muffins! I love how versatile this recipe is!
ReplyDeleteI love the muffin idea and will definitely steal that the next time I make this bread!
ReplyDeleteI shall try this recipe in muffin form next time I make it [which will be soon]. They look great!
ReplyDeleteMuffins, great idea. Now I'm thinking about these in my mini muffin pan, wouldn't that be yummy? The crust is so nice and if I make muffins everyone gets crust. Yea.
ReplyDeleteyour muffins look absolutely lovely! Perfect picnic food.
ReplyDeleteVery cute appetizer for a buffet-style dinner or a picnic. I love that you flavored the cake batter with 2 types of cheeses. It looks insanely good :-]
ReplyDeleteSavoury cheese muffins sound wonderful to me! I missed this recipe, even though I had all the ingredients. I definitely plan to make this soon, especially after seeing yours.
ReplyDelete:)
I love AMFT! Haven't yet tried this recipe but yours look scrumptious. Now on my to do list.
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