Crackers & Dips (4 page)

Bake the crackers, rotating the baking sheets once from top to bottom and from back to front, until they are firm when touched and beginning to turn light brown on the bottom, 15 to 17 minutes. Watch the crackers carefully as they bake; if some crackers begin to burn before others are done, transfer them to a cooling rack and return the undone crackers to the oven for a few moments. Transfer the crackers to a cooling rack and cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. They will last for up to 1 week.

CRACKER TIP:
This recipe can be made with any semi-firm cheese, so it’s a great way to use up any odd bits of Swiss, provolone, or Gouda you have knocking around in the refrigerator.

A SCHOOL OF GLUTEN-FREE FISH CRACKERS

These crackers have the same great cheesy flavor as the Tangy Cheddar Cheese Crackers on
page 21
, but these are a lot easier to digest for people who don’t do so well with wheat. They are actually so crisp and delicious, I guarantee you’ll love them even if you’re not living wheat-free!

The list of ingredients for this and other wheat-free recipes seems daunting at first, but as awareness of gluten intolerance increases, it’s becoming much easier to find alternative flours in regular grocery stores. I keep a separate airtight container of my gluten-free flour in my pantry and pull it out whenever I want an easy-on-the-tummy treat. The instructions here are for making goldfish-shaped crackers, but if you haven’t the patience for that, these crackers are equally delicious cut into squares.

MAKES ABOUT 240 FISH-SHAPED CRACKERS

2 tsp gluten-free chicken bouillon powder

1 tsp annatto, crumbled (see headnote,
page 21
)

½ cup/120 ml room-temperature (75°F/25°C) water

1 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup/160 g sweet rice flour

6 tbsp/65 g potato starch (not potato flour), plus more for rolling

¼ cup/30 g tapioca flour

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup/55 g grated loosely packed sharp Cheddar cheese

¼ cup/55 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 375°F/180°C/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. In a large measuring cup, combine the bouillon powder, annatto, water, and yeast. Stir until the yeast and bouillon have dissolved; set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda and pulse to combine. Add the cheese and butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 10 one-second pulses.

Remove the food processor lid and pour the water mixture evenly over the rice flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture comes together into clumps, 20 one-second pulses. Divide the dough into two balls, flatten into 6-in/15-cm disks, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Dust a work surface with potato starch and roll one of the disks into a ⅛-in-/4-mm-thick rectangle, picking up the dough occasionally and rotating it to make sure it’s not sticking to the work surface. Using a small 1-in/2.5-cm fish-shaped cookie cutter, cut the dough into crackers. Alternatively, use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, trim any irregular edges away (save the scraps), and cut the dough into 1-in/2.5-cm squares. Transfer the crackers to a baking sheet using a floured spatula or bench scraper and poke each cracker once with a toothpick. Gather up the scraps, rewrap in plastic wrap, and chill while rolling out the second ball of dough. Repeat with the remaining dough. (Scraps can be re-rolled once.) Bake, rotating the pans once from top to bottom and from back to front, until the crackers are golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Transfer the crackers to a rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

CRACKER TIP:
Find miniature fish-shaped cookie cutters at craft stores and online craft sites like Makin’s Clay Company and Daiso; they are often made for children’s clay craft projects.

SODA WATER CRACKERS

WITH ALDER SMOKED SALT

At a young age, my dad introduced me to the simple pleasure of munching on saltines topped with smoked oysters while watching baseball on TV. To this day, saltines strike a sentimental chord; perhaps it’s their plain, calming straight-forwardness I admire. Making homemade soda water crackers might not seem worth the trouble, but I assure you that these flaky, crispy, slightly sourdough-flavored crackers are infinitely better than their store-bought cousins. Try them with seafood dips like the Trieste-Style Crab Gratin (
page 136
) or the Smoked Salmon Crème Fraîche Dip (
page 118
), or eat them as my dad would have, slathered with butter and topped with smoked oysters.

MAKES ABOUT 100 CRACKERS

¾ tsp active dry yeast

½ tsp sugar

¾ cup/180 ml warm (120°F/50°C) water, plus 2 tsp

1¾ cups/215 g unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 6 tbsp/50 g and more for rolling

½ tsp baking soda

¼ cup/50 g shortening (preferably nonhydrogenated)

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 cup/115 g unbleached pastry flour

Alder-smoked salt, for sprinkling

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, and ¾ cup/180 ml water. Set aside until the mixture is creamy-looking, 10 minutes. Add the 1¾ cups/215 g all-purpose flour and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until a sticky dough forms, 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for 24 to 36 hours.

In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and remaining 2 tsp water. Add to the mixing bowl along with the shortening and sea salt. Blend with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed for 30 seconds. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining all-purpose flour and all the pastry flour. Knead on medium-low speed until the dough comes together into a smooth ball, 3 minutes. Turn the dough out into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C/gas 8. Line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Divide the dough into four balls. Place one ball of dough on a lightly floured surface; cover the remaining dough with plastic wrap. Roll out the first ball of dough using a pasta maker or a rolling pin until it is ¼ in/6 mm thick. Lightly flour the dough, fold it into thirds as you would a letter, and continue to roll the dough out until it is ⅛ in/4 mm thick. If rolling by hand, pick up the dough frequently and rotate it to make sure it isn’t sticking to the work surface, adding flour only as necessary to prevent sticking.

Using a scallop-edged pastry wheel or pizza cutter, trim any irregular edges (save the scraps), and cut the dough lengthwise into 2¼-in/5.5-cm strips. Carefully transfer the strips to a baking sheet, spacing the strips ½ in/12 mm apart and trimming them to fit the sheet as necessary. Sprinkle the strips lightly with the smoked salt and gently tamp down the salt with the bottom of a measuring cup. Cut the strips crosswise to make 2¼-in/5.5-cm squares. Prick each cracker with a fork or a comb. Repeat the process to fill the second baking sheet.

Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 3 minutes, then rotate the pans from top to bottom and from back to front. Reduce the temperature to 400°F/200°C/gas 6 and continue to bake until the crackers are light brown around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Return the oven to 450°F/230°C/gas 8 and repeat the process with the remaining dough and scraps. Once the crackers are cool, transfer them to an air-tight container and keep them at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

CORN BREAD CRISPS

Think corn bread, then think corn bread made into crisp little diamonds, and you get the idea here. These are the perfect partner for the Tangy Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Dip (
page 110
) or the Molten Black Bean and Chorizo Dip (
page 115
).

MAKES ABOUT 80 CRACKERS

1 cup/145 g yellow cornmeal

¾ cup/90 g unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 tsp baking powder

5 tsp sugar

1 tsp fine sea salt

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

6 tbsp/85 g chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-in/12-mm chunks

¼ cup/60 ml chilled buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. In a food processor or large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cayenne; pulse or whisk to combine.

Add the butter and pulse or use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 15 one-second pulses in a food processor. Add the buttermilk and pulse or stir just until the dough comes together.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, about 5 strokes. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a small rectangle that is about 1 in/2.5 cm thick.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Place one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface, cover with plastic wrap, and roll the dough out until it is ⅛ in/4 mm thick. Use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2-in/5-cm diamonds; reserve the scraps. With a lightly floured spatula or bench scraper, transfer the diamonds to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat the process with the scraps.

Bake until the crackers are golden brown on the bottom and dry to the touch, 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once from top to bottom and from front to back. Cool the crackers on a rack and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

RITZY PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH CRACKERS

These are just like the packaged peanut butter crackers Mom packed in your lunch, but without all the chemicals and trans fats—plus they taste much, much better. The secret to these buttery crackers is barley malt syrup, a sweet, thick syrup made from sprouted barley that is used by bakers and brewers when a light, malty flavor is desired.

You can, of course, forgo the peanut butter filling and enjoy these buttery crackers solo or with a savory spread like Bacon and Caramelized Onion Jam (
page 128
). They’re also smashing served alongside a big bowl of chili.

MAKES 25 SANDWICHES (50 CRACKERS)

For the crackers

4 tbsp/55 g chilled unsalted butter

2 cups/255 g unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 tsp barley malt syrup or dark corn syrup

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ cup/120 ml water

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water

1 tsp kosher salt

For the peanut butter filling

¾ cup/190 g creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup/80 g confectioners’ sugar, sifted

TO MAKE THE CRACKERS:
Cut the butter into ¼-in/6-mm chunks and place in the freezer while combining the dry ingredients. In a food processor or large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and sea salt and pulse or whisk to combine. Add the butter and pulse or cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is in tiny pieces and the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, about 15 one-second pulses.