Now I’m a big fan of traditional sables. They are rich buttery cookies which seem fit for just about any occasion. But after being underwhelmed by our previous forays into the non-traditional sable realm with first cocoa and then seaweed sables, I was more than a little hesitant to tackle this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Pierre Herme’s Olive Sables. Yep, the only reason I voted for this recipe was because Mardi asked us to.
In addition to my initial qualms, I had continued doubts all the way through the process. Which olives should I buy? Dorie recommends cured olives, but surely those are too salty. Should I make a full recipe or cut my loses and try for a half batch? Should I lie to my husband in order not to scare him off from this recipe? Are they dessert or are they appetizers? What the heck is this thing going to taste like!
In the end I decided to just go for it and follow the darn recipe to the letter by using cured olives to make a full batch and hope for the best. Thankfully, once I had finally decided to stop fighting it, the whole thing came together quite easily. In fact, I found the dough to be much easier to work with than normal sable dough, which I often find to be crumbly and difficult to mold into a log.
And do you know what? These were delicious! After all that hemming and hawing, my goodness. Dorie accurately describes these as perceptibly sweet and salty at the same time. I’m still none the wiser as to whether to call these an appetizer or dessert. But I also don’t care any more because they are highly addictive no matter when they are served. My husband, however, was not convinced. His exact review was, “good, but they would be better without the olives.” Oh well, can’t please em all I guess.
Dorie says that these pair well with champagne, which is awfully handy because my husband and I just visited the Champagne region over the Easter holiday weekend and may have come back with a trunk full of bottles. Thanks goodness for the EU open border policy.
one expat's life 
We had these as an appetizer and they were so good that people ate them along with dessert too! I guess they are both.
Enjoy that trunk full of goodies 🙂
I’ve just been eating them any old time I want them, but they do make a good dessert. I imagine they’re especially good with Champagne!
I just loved these too! They were different, but delicious! I had a few with wine…and then I had a few with my tea! Yours look lovely!! Enjoy the Champagne!
Have a great weekend, Rose!
I really loved these, almost as much as I love Champagne. You’ve inspired me. I’ll have to pick up a bottle and bake another roll. Have a great weekend.
The salty olives added the necessary salty kick I think. I loved these cookies, but I think like your husband, and will loose the olives and add another flavor next time.You had the perfect champagne waiting to join them Rosa! Have a great weekend!
I have been pleasantly surprised by a few of Dorie’s recipes, too! Lucky you with the stash of champagne…enjoy!!!
What a great treat to have these with champagne!
So nice that these gave you an excuse to sample some of the champagne you brought home. I was pleasantly surprised by these, too.
OMG OMG the pressure of asking people to vote for a recipe and crossing my fingers they like it!! Glad you did!! ANd of course champagne is a great accompaniment to anything! I actually have nearly the EXACT same picture as the one on the left at Moët from our trip there last summer!
These are so very addictive, aren’t they?! So glad that they were also a hit with you and I am sure they went wonderfully with the champagne.
Fun Easter trip, huh? Envy you that one. I felt the same way you described you felt with this recipe. I didn’t like the seaweed sablés at all and was none too thrilled to be making more this week. But, they turned out to be delicious and I couldn’t have devoured them on the spot. Thank goodness I made the entire recipe but was wise enough to put two of the slice-and-bake rolls in the freezer. I am going to take Mardi’s suggestion and spinkle sea salt on the tops when I make them again. Glad you liked them also.