French Aperitif: Ham and Olive Cake

Holidays are such a wonderful time! With all the parties that Juan and I need to attend, I like to contribute something really French for each. This Ham and Olive Cake is traditionally served in France during an aperitif (drinks served before a meal, along with snacks). It's usually cut in thick cubes, arranged on a platter and served as a finger food. We call it "Cake aux olives et jambon". 

In France, "un cake" is a sweet or savory rectangular-shape dish. Any other size, like a round cake would be called "un gateau". "Les cakes" are very popular in France. This ham and cheese one is the most basic one but there are many other variations possible: adding goat cheese, smoked salmon, chicken, rosemary... There really is not limit to your imagination. Fortunately, I have many "cake" recipes up my sleeves, so I can't wait to share more with you!

They are so incredibly easy to make and so versatile. I love them! This recipe has been my Mom's for decades. She always makes one or two versions of "cake" for Christmas, to serve during the aperitif, while everyone in my - big - family catches up around a glass of Kir Royal. I particularly love the addition of white wine to the recipe. It adds a subtle je ne sais quoi...

The weather was so nice this last Sunday that Juan and I cut a couple slices of my Ham and Olive Cake for ourselves and headed for an outdoor picnic (yes in December!). I put some fresh green salad in a tupperware and mixed a quick lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. It was absolutely perfect! No mess, no plates and delicious.

Stay tuned tout le monde .... I sense a French Fork "savory cake" series coming our way...

** Other French Fork Aperitif ideas**

Tapenade and Tuna Mousse

Ham and Olive French Cake (serves 8 to 12)

6 oz (or a little more than a cup) of pitted and non-stuffed green olives (Manzanilla or anything you like)

2 cups and 3 tbsps of all purpose flour

1 tsp 1/2 of baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

4 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup of whole milk

1 cup of white wine

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of olive oil

7 oz of  smoked ham (like a smoked virginia ham or black forest smoked) cut in 1/2 inch thick

6 oz of Gruyere cheese (if you can't find Gruyere, you could use Emmental, Comte or Beaufort)

1/2 tsp of freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter and flour an 11-inch long loaf pan. In a saucepan, boil 2 cups of water. Drain the olives, and when the water is boiling, drop them in for 2 minutes, to blanch them (it takes off that briny taste). Drain them and roughly chop them. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Transfer to a bowl. Combine the eggs, one at a time. Combine the milk, the wine and both the vegetable and olive oil. It gives a very liquid consistency, which is normal. 

Dice the ham into 1/2 inch cubes and combine to the dough. Grate the Gruyere cheese and combine. Finally, add the pepper and olives, combine well and transfer to the loaf pan.

Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Because there is so much liquid in the recipe, it will be very bubbly and the blade of your knife will be somewhat wet, but there should not be any uncooked dough. The top should be brown. Don't worry if the inside of the cake looks uncooked. That's exactly how it's supposed to be!

Resist the temptation to unmold right away and allow to cool for an hour. Serve cut in slices for lunch or dinner, along with a simple green salad and vinaigrette, or cut in thick 1 inch cubes, as an appetizer, along with drinks. Enjoy lukewarm or cold.

Apple Rum Spice Cake

I was new to the seasonal flavors of Fall in America when I moved here. I found out that Americans like their cinnamon, pumpkin and cranberries, to name a few. And I just love it! Every year, I get so excited at the approach of October and November for that reason.

When our friend Steven said he was going to organize a birthday get together for his lovely girlfriend Lauren, I thought it was a great occasion to make my first Fall cake of the year.

One my favorite is apple spice cake, which is an incredibly moist dessert. You would expect a blend of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon to give it a robust flavor but the addition of the vanilla, the applesauce and - my personal touch - the rum and orange gives a wonderful balance of sweet and subtle warm bite. Almost as if you could imagine eating a sweet mulled wine cake - hmm, that actually doesn't sound too bad!

I made this cake for the first time last year at Thanksgiving and I copied it quickly into my notebook of "recipes that will become a tradition".

Last weekend, the cake - besides Lauren's great pumpkin pie - capped a copious BBQ meal at the Salt Lick, in Driftwood, TX. Platters of succulent ribs, brisket and sausages traveled back and forth on our large table, until the inevitable meat coma. Fortunately, everyone seemed to have kept some room for dessert.

Apple and Rum Spice Cake (inspired from Real Simple magazine)

1/2 cup golden raisins + 1 tbsp rum

1 stick of butter

1 cup of sugar

1 2/3 cups jarred applesauce

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp rum

1/2 tsp orange zest

1 tsp fresh orange juice

1 apple, peeled, cored and diced

2 cups of flour, sifted

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Measure the rum for the raisins, place in a bowl and heat on high in the microwave for 10 seconds. Add the raisins and and let soak, covered. Melt the butter over medium heat, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and eggs. In the same saucepan in which you melted the butter, saute the apple until soft, for about 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl.  In another bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda and the salt. Combine to the butter and spice mixture. Measure 1tsp of rum from the raisin bowl, add to the mix and discard the rest of the rum. Drain the raisins, and add to the mixture. Stir well. Pour in the pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and allow to completely cool before serving. 

Earl Grey Tea, Cranberry and Walnut Cake

I have been wanting to bake with tea for a while -since I like to drink it so much. When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt very inspired to create the recipe for a cake that would be perfect as an afternoon snack, along with coffee or tea. I opted for 2 beloved ingredients of mine to marry the tea with: walnuts and cranberries. 

I'm rather proud of the results, I have to say. The combination makes for a perfect crunchy and tangy flavor. And the tea you ask? I used Earl Grey tea and it's exactly what I imagined; you can definitely taste it but not so much that it's overwhelming. It gives it a unique freshness and a hint of je ne sais quoi.

 

Earl Grey Tea, Cranberry and Walnut Cake

1/4 cup of boiling water

4 tea bags of Earl Grey tea

1/2 cup of roughly chopped walnuts

1 cup of sugar

3 large eggs

1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup of flour

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 cup of dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a loaf pan or a bunt pan.

Boil 1/4 cup of water and brew the tea bags for 10 minutes. Squeeze out all the liquid, discard the bags and allow the tea to cool.

Place the walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 F oven for 5 to 10 minutes (until slightly golden color). Do keep an eye on them so they don't burn! Allow to cool.

Mix together the eggs and the sugar until smooth and pale yellow. Add the butter (at room temperature). 

Sift together the flour, the baking powder and the baking soda. Quickly and lightly dust the cranberries with flour (it will prevent them from sinking at the bottom of the pan) and set aside in a bowl. 

Slowly fold in the flour mixture into the egg mixture. When it is well incorporated, add the tea. Stir well. Add the walnuts and stir. Then delicately fold in the cranberries. At that point, do not overmix. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.