Pierre Herme’s Sable a L’olive Noir

Very interesting recipe....a black olive shortbread. Savory, yes, but sweet as well.  A sophisticated cookie for an adult palate, with EVO as well as black olives in the mix. 
Adding a finely sieved, cooked egg yolk to the batter was something I'd never tried, so I looked into it and here's what I found out:
Hard boiled egg yolks are a tenderizer. Added to a batter or dough the cooked bits interrupt the gluten network. Not so much that it doesn’t function, but enough that it’s more tender than it would otherwise be. Ground nuts do the same job, but if you want a lighter, fluffier texture, cooked yolk is a better solution. In addition, cooked yolk adds a pleasing yellow hue. (not noticeable in this recipe) You can add it to biscuits and pastry crusts as well.

Whatever the means, the end results were intriguing and flavorful. This recipe doesn't make a large amount of cookies, but if you're having just a few people in for a cup of tea or a glass of wine, I got about 10-12 two inch squares with this recipe. I rolled the dough out between two pieces of wax paper and refrigerated it. I bet if you formed it into a roll, refrigerated, then sliced, you could eke out a few more, avoiding scrap waste.

Pierre Herme’s Sable a L’olive Noir  (Black Olive Shortbread Cookies)
From Shirley@Kokken

Ingredients:
1 cooked egg yolk (see method below)
65g unsalted butter, room temperature
scant 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons EVO
1/8 cup corn flour (I used very fine cornmeal)
3/4 cup flour minus a tablespoon
1/8 cup black olives in oil, finely minced

Method:
Preheat oven to 340. Lightly beat an egg yolk and microwave it for 30 seconds until cooked. (Or use a hard boiled egg yolk) Press it through a sieve while still warm.
In a mixer, beat the egg yolk, the butter, the powdered sugar and fleur de sel until creamy.
Add both the flours and beat only until it just comes together. Fold in the black olives.
At this point you can either roll the dough out between two sheets of wax paper (about 1/4 inch thick) or you can form it into a log. Refrigerate until firm. 
Cut with cookie cutter or slice the log with a knife and place the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes.