When I ate dinner at the Home of Nathalie Berrebi, a Frenchwoman living in Geneva, she served this savory quick bread warm and sliced thin, as a first course for a dinner attended by lots of children and adults. For the main course, Nathalie prepared rouget (red mullet) with an eggplant tapenade on top, something all the children loved. The entire dinner was delicious, but I especially liked that savory bread with the unexpected flavor combination of goat cheese, apricots, and fresh mint. Now I often make this quick bread for brunch or lunch and serve it with a green salad.

　　

Ingredients

6 to 8 servings

　　1/3 cup olive oil, plus some for greasing

　　3 large eggs

　　1/3 cup milk

　　2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　Freshly ground pepper to taste

　　2 ounces grated Gruyère, aged Cheddar, or Comté cheese

　　4 ounces fresh goat cheese

　　1 cup chopped dried apricots

　　2 tablespoons roughly minced mint leaves or 2 teaspoons dried mint

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with some of the oil.

　　

Step 2

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, and beat well. Add the milk and oil, whisking until smooth.

　　

Step 3

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in another bowl, and add to the wet mixture, stirring until everything is incorporated and the dough is smooth.

　　

Step 4

Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan, sprinkle on the grated Gruyère, Cheddar, or Comté, crumble the goat cheese on top, and then scatter on the apricots and the mint. Pull a knife gently through the batter to blend the ingredients slightly. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool briefly, remove from the pan, peel off the foil or parchment paper, slice, and serve warm.

　　Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous