Rosemary Parmesan Coins

I absolutely love crackers! And homemade crackers are soooo much better than store-bought. This is a great recipe! The crackers are so delicately flavoured with an almost short-bread like consistency. I didn't get pictures of the crackers after they baked, but they looked just like the unbaked crackers but the flecks of parmesan turned a beautiful golden brown and made the finished product look so great. I made these for our Superbowl party and they were definitely a hit!

Rosemary Parmesan Coins

Recipe from The Best of Fine Cooking - Party Food 2010

Ingredients:

• 6 oz (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
• 1 oz (3/4 cup lightly packed) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
• 1 generous tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 1/2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, chilled
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Method:

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, cheese, lemon zest, rosemary, table salt, and pepper. Process until just blended. Add the butter and pulse until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the yolk and lemon juice together with a fork and drizzle over the mixture. Pulse until you have small, moist crumbs that just begin to clump together.
2. Pile the moist crms on an unfloured work surface. With the heel of your hand, push and gently smear the crumbs away from you until they start to come together in cohesive dough. Using a pastry scraper or metal spatula, lift up one edge of dough and fold it into the center (dough will still be rough, so don't expect a neat, smooth fold). Repeat withthe opposite edge, like folding a letter. Turn the dough 45 degrees. Give the dough another smearing and shape into 14 inch log thats 1 1/4 inches in diameter.
3. Wrap in plast and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours, or up to 2 days.
4. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 375F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange about 1/2 inch apart on prepared sheets.
5. Bake until medium golden around the edges about 15-20 minutes. Rotating the sheets as needed for even baking. Don't overbake them though or you will lose the lemon and rosemary flavours. If you like, sprinkle with a little kosher salt just as baking sheets come out of the oven. Set sheets on racks to cool. When coins are completely cool, store in an airtight container.
   

Stay tuned for some more great recipes this week including a delicious Cranberry Pear Linzer tort! And the upcoming Daring Bakers Challenge which is released on February 27th. :) Can't wait!!!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Cheddar Crackers

I have always avoided baking crackers until a good friend told me how delicious they are to make. I always thought they would be far too much work to be worth the effort, but these beauties certainly are worth the (minimal) effort required! They are deliciously flavourful and highly addictive. When I make them now, I have to make a double batch and we still never have leftovers. They're great served with cream cheese and hot pepper jelly or even great to just eat on their own.

I seem to be posting a lot of Anna Olson recipes - guess it just goes to show that she writes great cookbooke with down to earth recipes! This recipe is from Anna Olson's cookbook Fresh. If you're looking for a great cookbook that uses local and fresh ingredients - this is the perfect cookbook for you. The book is broken down into seasonal sections based on what is in season locally. Deliciousness!

Enough about my hero Anna Olson's cookbooks - on to the recipe! :D

Cheddar Crackers

Recipe from Anna Olson - Fresh, p. 186

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (more for sprinkling)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 cup coarsely grated old or extra-old cheddar
• 1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp water, for brushing
• coarse salt and sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, sesame seeds, salt and baking powder. Use a box grater to grate in the butter and pulse until mixture is rough and crumbly. Add the cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup cold water and pulse until the water is incorporated, adding another 1 tbsp water if necessary to form a soft dough.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough 3 or 4 times to develop the gluten in the flour slightly and make the dough easier to work with. Form the dough into 2 balls and flatten them into disks and chill for at least an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line baking tray with parchment paper.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first piece of dough into a 12-inch square (about 2mm thick) and cut it into 2-inch squares. Place the squares on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with the 2nd piece of dough.
5. Brush squares lightly with egg wash and prick them all over with a fork. Sprinkle them with salt and sesame seeds and bake until lightly browned, about 13 minutes. Cool before transferring them to a plate.
6. Crackers can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

I'm not really very precise about size and shape of my crackers - however they turn out is just fine and they taste wonderful! If you want to be more precise, go right ahead - one of those culinary ruler/ straight edges works great and using a pizza cutter would be very quick and efficient for cutting the dough. The one important thing is to try to make sure they're approximately the same size so they cook evenly. Enjoy this recipe!

Happy Baking my Friends!