Le Cake Salé

Karlos Knott of Bayou Teche Brewing and the Pie Bar Cafe sent this one in. Cake salé is the French savory loaf you slice and serve with a drink, and this is the Acadiana version of it: andouille instead of lardons, Gruyère, and candied jalapeño worked into the batter.

He treats it as a template rather than a fixed recipe. Swap the meat, swap the cheese, swap the peppers. He's got muffuletta ingredients in mind for the next one.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 8 oz andouille, cut crosswise into small cubes
• 1 cup full-fat (whole) buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 2½ cups self-rising flour
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 oz grated Gruyère
• 2 tablespoons chopped candied jalapeño
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the wet. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.
3. Add the mix-ins. Stir the andouille, jalapeños, shredded cheese and parsley into the wet mixture. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
4. Pan it. Transfer the batter to a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
5. Bake. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool and slice. Let the loaf cool in the pan 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack until cool enough to slice and serve.

Recipe Notes

• From Karlos: you can substitute almost anything for the meat, cheese, jalapeños and herbs. He's thinking of trying muffuletta ingredients next time.