Happy Labor Day everyone! I’ve been vacationing with my family these past two weeks, giving me lots of time to bake and photograph and write before all of the start-of-school madness begins. One of the things I made were these rosemary gruyere crackers from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman, and let me tell you… They are magical. With the crunch of a Cheez-It and a sophisticated (yet crowd-pleasing!) flavor, these crisps are the perfect addition to whatever end-of-summer Labor Day cookout/fiesta/shindig you have planned for today. Oh, and they’re insanely easy to make. So go whip some up right now–I’ll show you how! (Hey, I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it!)
Grab your food processor (or just use a bowl and a pastry cutter) and throw in some flour, salt, buttah, rosemary…
And CHEESE, of course!
Pulse that up until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it all up, patting it into a thick square. Pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350!
Now comes the trickiest part–rolling. My dough was extremely crumbly, but stick with it because it’ll all turn out okay. I promise! Knead the dough a little to try to incorporate all of the floury bits, then start rolling it out on a lightly floured surface. You may get some cracks, but as it warms up a little you should be able to get it to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza roller to cut diagonal strips one way, then the other to form diamonds.
Use a metal spatula to transfer the crackers to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Next, use a toothpick to poke holes in the center of each cracker, then use your finger to dab each one with a teeny bit of water. Finish ’em off with a sprinkling of sea salt and throw them in the oven!
Oooh yum. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until this golden brown perfection happens.
Serve ’em up! These’ll go fast, trust me.
Rosemary Gruyere Crackers
from crumbsandnibbles.com, adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Makes about 60 1-inch crackers
Ingredients:
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon finely minced rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl if using a pastry cutter). Pulse (or cut) until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it all up, patting it into a thick square. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Knead the dough a little to try to incorporate all of the floury bits, then start rolling it out on a lightly floured surface. You may get some cracks, but as it warms up a little you should be able to get it to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza roller to cut diagonal strips one way, then the other to form diamonds.
- Use a metal spatula to transfer the crackers to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Next, use a toothpick to poke holes in the center of each cracker, then use your finger to dab each one with a teeny bit of water. Finish them off with a sprinkling of sea salt and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Serve to your friends and family or eat them all up yourself!
Happy nibbling!
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