sable breton

Sablé Breton are very famous in Brittany on the West Coast of France. They are very similar to shortbread, except they are made with egg yolks. They also have a characteristic sandy outside edge and they are very rich in butter. Sablés have a mild sweetness that is a perfect complement for sweet mousses, parfaits, Crème Pâtissière, and ice cream.

Sablé Breton are basically shortbread with a lovely buttery flavor and they are perfect base for strawberries/raspberries and vanilla cream.

I served the Sablé Breton with a doll up of vanilla cream in the middle, surrounded by fresh raspberries, sprinkle them with powder sugar. The raspberries sauce is on the side with a bit of chocolate sauce to dip in. I also served it together with my raspberry compote with tarragon cream

Ingredients : Serve 10-12

Sablé Breton

1 2/3 cup of flour

pinch of salt

1tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

3 extra large egg yolks

Vanilla Cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tablespoon whipping cream

Raspberry butter sauce

12 oz raspberries

4 tablespoons water

1/3 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of sugar

Start with the Sablé Breton: you can make the Sablé dough ahead and freeze it if you like. Cut into discs and bake from frozen, allowing an extra few minutes

Shape the dough into a thick log about 3 inches in diameter and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for a few hours until firm. The dough can also be frozen up to a month.

After 2 hours remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut the log into thick discs.

Lightly dust your work surface with flour and flatten the disc into the desired size.

Using a pastry ring I am cutting the dough to form a perfect circle.

Inserting the dough inside molds. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

Freshly out of the oven.

Putting the sable on a cooler rack and set aside. If you can't eat them all they can be store in air tight container for about 2 weeks.

Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the vanilla seeds.

Pour the milk in a sauce pan, add the vanilla bean and seeds to the milk and bring it slowly to a boil.

In the mean time beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in the cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.

Just as the milk begins to boil, remove from the heat and gradually pour onto the egg mixture.

When completely incorporated, pour the mixture back into the pan.

Stir for about 5 minutes or so to cook the cornstarch and thicken the custard.

Pass through a sieve and let it cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve.

Put the raspberries, sugar, water in a pan and bring to a boil and bubble until reduced by about on third. Turn down the heat slowly and whisk in the butter to make a smooth glossy sauce. Pour into a bowl and let cool completely. pass through a sieve to remove all the seeds.