Stilton & poppy seed sablés

Stilton & poppy seed sablés

Sablé is French for sandy, which explains the crumbly texture of these pastries - given extra crunch by the addition of polenta

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 30 biscuits

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 - 40 mins

Plus chilling time
Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Method

  1. In a large bowl, rub together the flour, butter, mustard powder, cayenne, polenta (if using), poppy seeds, stilton and a pinch of salt, using your fingers and hands, until the mixture forms a pastry dough. Knead the dough briefly until it really sticks together and is very lightly speckled with tiny bits of cheese. You can be quite heavy-handed.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a sausage shape with your hands, about 25cm long and 4cm in diameter, then wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour. (The pastry can now be chilled for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. The pastry can be sliced and cooked from frozen but you need to cut it slightly thicker.)
  3. To bake the biscuits, preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/ fan 170C. Slice the dough into rounds just under 1cm thick. Lay the rounds a couple of centimetres apart on a baking sheet (or two, if you are cooking all the biscuits at the same time). Put a very small piece of stilton in the middle of each biscuit, then bake for 10-15 minutes, until the edges are starting to go golden and the cheese is bubbling. Leave to cool slightly before serving. The biscuits will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight tin.

Per biscuit

61 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 3g, fat 5 g, saturated fat 3g, fibre 0g, salt 0.2 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2002.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo nelliemelba

    18 February 2008

    nelliemelba rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made these to go with the smoked salmon and horseradish creme fraiche recipe. Everyone loved these crispy biscuits easy to do and the poppy seeds add extra flavour. Now a frim favourite.

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  • Binder photo Belkey

    25 May 2008

    Belkey rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious and easy, make sure you space them out well on the baking tray though as they do spread....

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  • Binder photo CloClo

    08 July 2009

    CloClo commented on this recipe

    Look really nice, but I can't stand the smell of stilton - what cheese can I use instead (or would normal cheddar do?)

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  • Binder photo yummie

    09 July 2009

    yummie commented on this recipe

    barney you are a star, love these,mmmmmmmm

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  • Binder photo Zyng

    30 November 2009

    Zyng rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    I was rather disappointed by these. First of all, my mixture took on a grey hue, nothing like the picture above. Secondly, I decided to divide the batch into two, freezing half of the dough. The dough I used gave me 9 biscuits (and one tiny one) so far less than the 15 it should have turned out. And finally, the biscuits were not crunchy in any way, spongey would be more like it, although I did use the polenta. Not really sure what went wrong...

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  • Binder photo mandy

    12 December 2010

    mandy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made these every Christmas for the past 5/6 years and my whole family look forward to them every year!

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  • Binder photo NicoleSavannah

    25 October 2011

    NicoleSavannah rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Wanted to try something new and stumbeled across this recipe. They taste AMAZING! I was really pleased with them (honestly they taste 100 times better than they smell).

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  • Binder photo Deb

    13 December 2012

    Deb rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Not sure what I am doing wrong as other people are so complimentary. Made a very solid mixture which didn't spread on the tray so came out looking as they had gone in - not terribly attractive. Flavour was pretty strong to pair up as an accompaniment to other dishes. Trialled it in advance of using this recipe as an addition to the salmon Christmas starter dish as other people have suggested, but won't be using it now.

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  • Binder photo Bev

    22 December 2012

    Bev rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've been making these every year since the recipe appeared in the magazine 10 years ago and they've never failed to disappoint. In fact they're such a hit with various friends and family that Christmas is hardly the same without them!

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  • Binder photo Gary Davies

    05 January 2013

    Gary Davies rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic recipe made these for 2012 hampers, we are just in to January and I have got to make more!! I did make a few alteration however, I ground mustard seeds instead of using powder and used semolina instead of polenta, great results either way I think!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 30 biscuits

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 - 40 mins

Plus chilling time
Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 100g plain flour
  • 85g cold butter , diced
  • small pinch of mustard powder
  • small pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp polenta (this is optional but does add extra crunchiness)
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 100g Stilton , crumbled (it's easier to use if taken straight from the fridge)
  • extra Stilton to top the biscuits
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Per biscuit

61 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 3g, fat 5 g, saturated fat 3g, fibre 0g, salt 0.2 g

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