I’ve been settling into the groove of the weekly rhythm of setting up shop and selling my baked goods at the Waterford Farmers Market. It’s a lot of work. I’m getting repeat customers and building my base for the more unique creations flying out of my kitchen, and they’ve made it plain that I need to fill in a couple blind spots: savory and gluten-free products.

For the gluten-free lineup, I’ve started making an almond meal based clafoutis, alternating the fruit between cherries and a raspberry/blackberry mix. It’s quite good; the almond base layer is a nice balance of cakey and custardy. Almost like a tres leches cake. I’m still hunting down GF recipes to add to my repertoire.

Savory recipes are much easier to find. I just hop onto Reddit or Facebook and scroll through the cooking forums, and sooner or later, something catches my interest. Last week, it was le cake salé (aka French Breakfast Cake). Think of an unsweetened quick bread studded with chopped bits of meat, veggies and plenty of cheese, and you’re on the right track.

I know, you hear “French,” and you think of something formal, perhaps a bit stuffy. But the cake salé tradition is the opposite. The base recipe stays the same, but you throw in bits of leftover ham, bacon, dried sausage ... maybe chopped broccoli, marinated red pepper ... and I can’t think of any cheese that would actually be bad in this recipe. Except queso. That could get ugly. It’s probably the closest thing to a dump cake that France has created without calling it le dump cake.

One of the most interesting things about the cake salé is how much of a mainstay of French home cooking it is. At the same time, you almost never see it in French bakeries. It doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention that baguettes and croissants do. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or a packed lunch. A toasted slice is downright fantastique almost any time of day.

I found a great cake salé base recipe on the Saveur site. This one features bacon, carmelized onions and Gruyère cheese. Here are the rules for making your own personalized version of this unassuming masterpiece:

Use full fat buttermilk; skip the non-fat stuff. If you make this cake too lean, it will be bland and crumbly.

Use the salt sparingly. Some of the mix-ins are already pretty salty.

No more than three cups combined of meat, veggies and cheese. If you overload the batter, the loaf may get a little too crumbly to slice.

French Breakfast Cake

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus some to grease the pan)

8 oz. bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-in. strips

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced or chopped

1 cup full-fat (whole) buttermilk

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed

2 large eggs

2½ cups all-purpose flour (10½ oz)

1½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground black pepper

8 oz grated Gruyère, or aged cheddar (2 cups)

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I substitute a Tbsp of dried herbes de Provence)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large skillet over low heat, cook the bacon until browned and the fat has rendered, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl.

To the pan with the rendered fat, add the onion and turn the heat to medium. (If the pan looks dry, add a tablespoon of butter.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. (Note: This is pure horse pucky. Onions never brown in 10 minutes unless you’re using a welding torch. See my footnote below for an easy way to cook the bacon and carmelize the onions at the same time in the same pan in the oven.)

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and eggs, then whisk in the melted butter. (I do this in a mini blender.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and black pepper. Stir in the cheese, parsley, bacon and onions. Add the buttermilk mixture, then use a silicone spatula to fold together the wet and dry ingredients until no streaks of dry flour remain.

Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, 45–50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then serve warm or at room temperature. (Honestly, this keeps well covered for week in the fridge and, like meatloaf, tastes better in the days after baking.)

* Bacon and Onion prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Place chopped onion evenly across a baking sheet and then place a baking rack over them. Lay your bacon strips onto the baking rack and then place the pan into the oven for 40-45- minutes. Bacon will rend its fat directly onto the onions, and they will brown nicely. Meanwhile, your bacon will crisp and cook perfectly flat. When finished, scoop out the carmelized onion and place onto a paper towel to drain excess fat.

I’ve done several variations on this recipe so far: soupy with marinated red pepper, onion and grated parm. Also, a ham, marinated artichoke and cheddar. Use your imagination (and leftovers) and enjoy.

And then it “Dawn”ed on me...

Yep, I know you’re not supposed to use dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher. You can end up with mountains of suds. And yes, I know that you’re not supposed to put aluminum cookware into the dishwasher because traditional dishwashing detergent erodes the aluminum surface and leaves it tarnished and pitted. But this week, faced with a pile of aluminum sheet pans covered with a sheen of butter and Pam, I thought, “It can’t hurt to try a teeny-tiny bit of Dawn in the dishwasher.” And by teeny-tiny, I mean 1/8 teaspoon of good old, goopy blue Dawn in the jug. And ya know what? It worked like a charm. No Abominable Suds Monster crawling across my floor and I had sheet pans that were completely clean. I’m going to test this method out more before I devote some real column space to it.

Rich Swanson is a local cook who has had numerous wins in nationally sponsored recipe contests. He is also the layout specialist here at The Day.

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Rich Swanson can be reached at TheSurlyTable@gmail.com.