The French Market Cookbook by Clotilde Dusoulier Read Free Book Online

oil, parsley, a pinch of salt, a good grind of black pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. Process until very smooth (or chop the mixture by hand as finely as possible). Taste and adjust the seasoning.
    EGGPLANTS
    Younger, smaller eggplants are definitely preferable; they taste sweeter, with no hint of bitterness. Regardless of the size, pick eggplants that feel heavy, have a smooth and shiny skin, and a stem-end “hat” that looks green and fresh.
    Goat Cheese and Rosemary Sablés
    GOAT CHEESE AND ROSEMARY SABLÉS
    Sablés au chèvre et au romarin
    MAKES 4 DOZEN SABLÉS
    When I was a child and our parents had dinner guests, my sister and I would feel tremendous excitement at the prospect of being allowed to sit on the carpet by the coffee table and devour the pretzel sticks, roasted peanuts, and tiny cheese crackers that normally lived in a special box high up in the kitchen cabinet above the sink.
    Now that I am all grown up, I hardly ever buy anything like this from the store; home-baked apéritif nibbles turn out to be easy to make and I love that I have control over just what goes into them, unlike with store-bought, which are often loaded with additives. I also have to admit to deriving an absurd amount of gratification from making these for friends, who invariably ask, their mouths full, “Wow, you really made those yourself?”
    I like to make bite-size savory cookies, flavored with goat cheese and rosemary, using the slice-and-bake method so I can have a batch in the oven in no time. The dough can be prepared in advance and kept in the freezer, ready to be sliced and baked for an apéritif spread or served with a green salad.
    8 ounces / 225 g fresh goat cheese
    2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon honey
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    ¼ cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 large organic egg yolks
    1½ cups / 195 g all-purpose flour, or more if needed
    1. In a medium bowl, mash the goat cheese with the rosemary, salt, honey, pepper, olive oil, and egg yolks until smooth.
    2. Stir in the flour. When most of it is absorbed, turn out the mixture onto a clean work surface and knead gently until it comes together into a smooth ball of dough. Add a little more flour if needed.
    3. Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each into a log about 1 inch / 2.5 cm in diameter. Wrap in plastic or parchment paper and place in the freezer for 1 hour. (If you prepare the dough further in advance, wrap the logs tightly to avoid freezer burn and transfer to the fridge 1 hour before slicing.)
    4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. / 175°C. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
    5. Take one log out of the freezer and cut it into ½-inch / 1 cm slices. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Repeat with the remaining dough, working in batches.
    6. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. The texture of these is most enjoyable on the day they’re baked, but they will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.
    Shaved Fennel Salad with Preserved Lemon
    SHAVED FENNEL SALAD WITH PRESERVED LEMON
    Salade de fenouil cru au citron confit
    SERVES 4
    Because of my childhood aversion to aniseed, it has taken me years to develop an appreciation for raw fennel. The turning point for me has been to discover that, when thinly sliced, it becomes a completely different animal, and that feathery wisps of raw fennel make for the most aromatic of salads.
    I add fennel shavings to what the French call salades composées, or multi-ingredient salads, for complexity and crunch. But it plays an incredible solo, too, with background support from preserved lemon—an enchanting condiment drawn from the cuisine of Morocco—and a sweet-and-sour vinaigrette.
    This makes a good salad for a picnic or packed lunch, as the flavors will develop as it sits. And if fennel isn’t your