Sea Salt Sable

The sea, atonement. My father is researching the heart, so I call him. He says it’s not heart-shaped. That was something I didn’t know. It’s been twenty-five years since I knew that. It is easier to see it as soft, sweet, delicate. It’s all cupid-looking. It’s not. It is hard, rough, and weathered. There are veins, ventricles and all sorts of unpleasant-looking things that they don’t list on their hallmark cards. I remember the heart necklace that I shared with my best friend as a child, and then I recall the same necklace that I gave my next best friend. I think about my other half, where they go, and what happens if mine turns to rust. There are many things I think about. It could be the first time I got a cold or caught a fish and how it affected my life. My first love is what I think of and his current plans. My heart beats again, but I don’t know why. It feels almost like a confession. Summer.

Sea Salt Sablé

Sablé is a type of French shortbread cookie noted for its crumbly, melt in your mouth consistency. The French word sablé means sand, and when you work the dough of these cookies, it does feel a bit like playing with fine sand. However, the similarities end there. These cookies are delicious and don’t taste like sand at all. HOWEVER, I was a little inspired by the ocean to add a bit of high-quality sea salt to these sea salt chocolate sable cookies.

280g (1 cup + 3 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

100g (1/2 cup), granulated sugar

50g (1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon) confectioner’s Sugar

2 teaspoons fleur de sel

1 egg yolk

Vanilla bean pods contain seeds.

315 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

1 egg white, gently whisked for brushing

70g granulated sugar (1/3 Cup), to roll

fleur de sel, for finishing

Use a stand mixer fitted to the paddle attachment to beat the butter, sugars and fleur de sel until light and creamy. This should take three to five minutes. Beat in the yolk until well combined. Finally, add in the vanilla seeds. Stop mixing to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour. Mix until the dough is soft.

Place the scraped material onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a taut log measuring approximately 5-cm (2-inches). Allow cooling until it is firm enough for you to cut.

Once you are ready to bake, adjust the racks in the lower third and upper third of the oven. Pre-heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Two large sheets of parchment paper should be lined.

Place the dough on a cutting board. Use a pastry brush to coat the dough with a thin layer of egg white. Roll it in sugar and press down as necessary. To ensure that the log is as smooth as possible, slice into 1.3 cm (1/2-inch) thick circles. Roll the log in between each cut. Split the sheets into equal pieces, leaving space between them for spreading. Sprinkle fleur de sel.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking until the edges are crisp and golden. Allow cooling on a baking sheet for a while before moving onto a wire rack.

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