Sable Cookies and the Raiders of Normandy

I had a single dream in my life from the time I was a child was to spend time in France.  My Grandpa Gauthier fought in World War 2 and I know he repaired tanks in France due to pictures my father had of him.  So when the opportunity arrived I almost jumped out of my shorts with enthusiasm for going.  I will tell you if you have never been to France, go.  Enjoy the smells, culture, and food.  Of all the peaceful feelings of my life, seeing the place my grandpa came into Europe during World War 2.  The reason I say it was peaceful is because my grandpa Gauthier died when I was six years old and I never really got to know him so this is the closest I have ever gotten to knowing him as a person.  When we were in Arromanches, and saw the man-made docks that the expeditionary forces entered France after the initial invasion on D-Day it was the closest that I ever came to being close to him.  Walking in my grandfathers foot steps help me feel closer to him, and to understand what kind of gumption he must of had to go into battle.

         One of the most vivid memories I have are related to a biscuit that I was eating the first time I saw Mt. St. Michel.  As a tour group we stopped at a biscuitier in Normandy region of France.  For my English friends out there a biscuit in European terms is a crisp cookies.  The actual kind I enjoyed the most were galette au beurre (which are cookies that are flaky and washed with egg yolk wash).  The other cookies that my wife and I brought home from France were Sable cookies ( these cookies are just a butter cookies made with plain sugar and icing sugar).  So in honor my bake this week is a vanilla sable cookie.  The recipe for the cookie is as follows.

 

2 vanilla beans ( I replaced this with 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract)

1/3 C granulated sugar

8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 C powdered sugar

1 large egg yolks

9 ounces (2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour

 

 

I mix the butter till it looks like this.  What your almost making is a butter cream so at this point add your sugars.

At this point you have a very good butter cream which you can decorate cakes with.  I then add my flours and mix just enough to bring the mixture together.

When your dough is mixed together I use cling wrap to make the dough into a log about an inch a round.  I then refrigerate the dough for 3 hours or overnight.  This makes the dough easier to cut into about a half inch thick slice to bake.

I love to reuse containers for what they were made for.  So I like to put my cookies into the same container my wife and I brought bake from France. It is a good tin for these kinds of cookies.

These are what the final products of the recipe look like.  These cookies will remind you of sandies, but will melt in your mouth.  I enjoy these with  either coffee or tea.