Friday, June 22, 2012

FFwD: David's Seaweed Sables

Right off the bat, David's Seaweed Sables sounded awful to me. Seaweed does not seem like the type of flavor that lends itself to a sweet/salty mashup of deliciousness. However, this recipe comes to Dorie via David Lebovitz, who I love and adore, and whose book, Ready for Dessert, is the most reliably knock-my-socks-off book I've ever cooked from, so I decided to withhold judgment until I tasted one.

Yeah. Well. Apparently I'm not sophisticated enough to hang with Dorie and David. Wish David had given her a recipe for bacon sables, as mentioned in the intro. I'd be all over those.

I'm not 100% sure that I bought the right nori. The recipe calls for toasted nori. All I found was roasted nori. Same thing? Beats me. I think it's right.

Everything came together very easily in the food processor, so the recipe has that going for it. Once blitzed, and then while baking, they smelled like the South Street Seaport, circa 1989. Not good.
Thanks for the sea salt, Pauline!
My favorite thing about this recipe was he contrast of the pretty salmon colored Alaea Sea Salt that my friend sent me from Hawaii against the light olive-toned sables. Looking at them was all they were good for. Couldn't eat them. Fishy + sweet = unpleasant. I poured a glass of wine, which did nothing to enhance the flavor of the cookie, but did help to burn the terrible aftertaste out of my mouth. I hated them. Matt took one whiff and didn't bother tasting one.

I also made last week's Lime Honey Beet Salad. Another dud. My problem was with the dressing, not the beets. It tasted like detergent to me. I threw it out. June is not being good to me, as far as these recipes go.

I'm off for NY tomorrow, and, from there, on to Naples in August. I've decided to bring Around My French Table with me in my luggage, so I'll do my best to keep up with the recipes for the next few months, until I'm reunited with all of my belongings, which I anticipate to be around October. It'll all depend on whether or not I can make the recipe without a well-stocked pantry or special equipment. Anyway, so I may go missing for a while, but I'll still be reading everyone's posts on Fridays! Wish me luck, and have a great summer!

17 comments:

  1. Ei, I totally agree!

    I'm so envious of you moving to Naples! I hope you love it. I moved there when I was 9 - my dad was in the Navy. It's totally chaotic, but so beautiful. I know you'll enjoy the outdoor markets.

    We moved to Rome after that, so were in Italy for 7 1/2 years all together. Then I returned to Rome for a semester of college. I am really Italian in my heart! Buona Fortuna!

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    1. Oh man, I WISH the Navy had spots in Rome now. I'm so happy to be going to Naples. I'm in that pre-move state of anxiety at the moment, but I fully intend to make the most of this opportunity.

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  2. Yeah, these did have a bit of a stank to them...
    Enjoy NY - I will be waving at you from Upstate :-)

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  3. Ha! The fishy smell was present in mine as well, but the saltiness was more pronounced than anything else. Oh, and now I want bacon sables.

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  4. I wish you all the best as you set off on this grand adventure. There will be laughter and there will be tears and there will be good food. I'm looking forward to having another Dorista in my time zone.

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  5. Bummers on the sables, I wonder if the quality of the nori had anything to do with it. If you ever get the urge to make these again ( I won't hold my breath) I can ship you some from the islands. We got all kine nori.

    Good luck on the move Ei! Hope to see you across the pond!

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  6. I felt like you did when the recipe was picked…but have to say I found them surprisingly good!
    Have a safe trip and good luck with your move! It sounds so exciting to be able to live in another country for a bit! Think of all the fun things you will be able to do…make sure you write about all your adventures! Safe travels!

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  7. Best of luck and enjoy your travels:) This just wasn't that good to me:(

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  8. Sorry these didn't work out but at least you gave them a shot. I didn't even attempt the beets because I am a big baby. Good luck with the move lady! I am so jealous of all the delicious food you are going to be surrounded by!

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  9. Sorry these cookies weren't a hit. Have a fab time in NY and Florida - how exciting to be away for a few months. Enjoy!

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  10. I liked them as well but they were a tough sell to the others in my house. They enjoyed the one I made them eat but weren’t itching to take another which says something. Just not sure what. Enjoy your adventures!

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  11. So sorry you did not care for the cookie/cracker. Even though they were simple to prepare, it's a shame
    when the do not please you. Enjoy New York, my old hometown where I was born and lived for over 40 years, and good luck with your exciting move to Naples. The experience of living in another country is
    fantastic, enjoy every bit of it.

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  12. We loved these, but I used seaweed wrapped crackers, so that may have dulled the fishy flavor. Good luck on your adventure. I can't wait to read all about it.

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  13. I am so sorry both the beets and the seaweed sables did not taste good to you, but that's the way it is with some of these recipes. I love the color of the sea salt on your sables.

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  14. Ei, it's a bummer that your last recipes stateside were, well, bad. I actually loved the beet recipe and thought the dressing was really delicious. If you do like beets, please revisit that one. The seaweed sablés, in my opinion, were just a bad use of sugar and butter. No need to do that to a wonderful French shortbread. I congratulate you for putting these together while you are trying to make an international move. Even if you cannot get each recipe made for the next month or so, I hope you will check in via your Blog or Comments. I will enjoy hearing about your adventures. Good luck and safe travels.

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  15. Good luck on your move. Have a safe trip and enjoy your time in Naples (I would LOVE to try the food there!). Sorry you didn't like the last two recipes, they definitely weren't my favorites either...Hopefully we'll be on better recipes when you're able to join in again.

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  16. Great article with excellent idea! I appreciate your post. Thanks so much and let keep on sharing your stuffs keep it up.religious food

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