Recipes from the Books

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest of 3 lemons (Meyer lemons if you can find them)
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup whole milk
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan.

2. 2

   Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy — three full minutes, not two. Béatrice would insist on this.

3. 3

   Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the lemon zest with the last egg.

4. 4

   Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. 5

   Combine the lemon juice and milk — it will curdle slightly, and that's fine. That's chemistry doing its job.

6. 6

   Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter in alternating thirds, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.

7. 7

   Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 48–52 minutes, until a skewer comes out with just a crumb or two clinging to it.

8. 8

   Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack.

9. 9

   Whisk together the glaze ingredients and pour over the warm cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Ingredients

• 3½ cups bread flour (or all-purpose)
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1¼ cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• ¾ cup pitted Niçoise or Kalamata olives, halved
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
• Flaky sea salt for finishing

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add the warm water and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.

2. 2

   Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. 3

   Fold in the olives and rosemary during the last minute of kneading. They'll try to escape. Be patient.

4. 4

   Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled.

5. 5

   Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with a baking stone or inverted sheet pan inside.

6. 6

   Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each piece into a rough oval, about ½ inch thick.

7. 7

   Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut 4–5 diagonal slashes through each oval, like the veins of a leaf. Gently stretch the slashes open with your fingers.

8. 8

   Transfer to a parchment-lined peel or board. Brush generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with flaky salt.

9. 9

   Slide onto the hot stone. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until deep golden.

10. 10

    Cool on a rack for exactly five minutes. Fougasse waits for no one.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1

   Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest together in a large bowl.

2. 2

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, orange blossom water, and vanilla.

3. 3

   Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until a soft dough forms. It will be slightly sticky.

4. 4

   Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. 5

   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.

6. 6

   Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into smooth ovals, about 2 inches long.

7. 7

   Place on the prepared sheets. Use a knife to score a shallow line down the center of each navette — the classic marking of the boat shape.

8. 8

   Bake for 13–15 minutes, until firm and just beginning to color at the edges. They should not brown. Patience is the instruction.

9. 9

   Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring. They firm up as they cool.