Comté and Ham Sablés | Holidays Baking

These savory comté and ham sablés from David Lebovitz are every bit like their sweet counterparts, the Viennese sables I blogged about earlier. Texture-wise, they remind me of those Danish butter cookies, the ones that come in a blue tin. The savory sablés are ideal as appetizers with cocktails. Like Dorie’s gougères we made weeks ago, here is another holiday favorite with a ready-made dough that can be baked at the last minute. Wonderful to have in the fridge.

December is the time for baking cookies. This recipe offers a twist to the everyday cookies. First, swap the flavor from sweet to savory. Hang on, the making of the comté and ham sablés is no different from that of the sugary butter cookies. Borrowing the same technique, you cream or paddle sugar into butter in the standmixer. In this case, we cream butter with salt and pepper and chives, until they are uniformly distributed. (See the recipe below for details.) The butter  increases in volume and becomes lighter. Furthermore, the air bubbles are incorporated into the cheese and ham mixture and help to leaven the batter. You can imagine how light and crispy these sablés are.

Looking at the ingredient list, I’m surprised to see cornmeal or fine polenta in addition to all-purpose flour, 45 grams and 120 grams, respectively. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, because it all makes sense. The cornmeal helps to keep the cookies stay sandy and tender. I always marvel what cornmeal can do to cakes and breads. Clearly, the lack of gluten in cornmeal prevents the wheat flour dough from getting overworked, which would result in a tough and dense cookie. (Try the corn bread which is made with 100% cornmeal; it’s so tender and healthful that you’re not missing the white flour.)

The comté and ham sablés bring the rich cheesy flavor with a light crunch — just perfect for the holiday table with drinks. This is a fantastic savory sablé base recipe that I’ll happily use again and again.  No Comté cheese, use another sharp, firm cheese, such as aged Gouda or Cheddar. There are endless variations for this crowd pleaser.

Substitute sugar with salt, pepper, cheese and ham for these savory sablés

Print Recipe

Comté and Ham Sablés

Ingredients

• 4 oz./115 grams butter (8 tbsp.), at room temperature
• 45 grams/1/4 cup cornmeal or fine polenta
• 120 grams/1 cup all-purpose flour
• 7 oz./210 grams/2 1/2 cups grated Comté cheese
• 50 grams/2 slices of prosciutto or other smoked ham (I used 50 grams of crumbled prosciutto chips)
• 2 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper ad lay the prosciutto slices on it. Bake for about 10 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. When the ham looks firm and dry, remove from the oven and allow it to cool until crisp. Once cooled and crisp, crumble into small pieces. Note: be sure to keep an eye on your oven! The baking time may be shorter depending on the thickness of the ham.

2

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, pepper, salt, and chives on medium speed until smooth and combined. Then, add the grated cheese into the mixture on medium speed. Add the flour and polenta/cornmeal and mix on low speed until combine. Add the prosciutto bits and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

3

Divide the dough in half and roll each half on a lightly floured surface into an 8 inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. (If you freeze the dough, remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight.)

4

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. With a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick circles and place them cut-side down on the baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes and rotate halfway through baking. Bake until the sable are golden brown on top