Butter / Egg Usage – November 2016

4 November 2016 –  Walnut Tartlets – 16 Tbs (8 for crust / 8 for filling) / 1 large egg

4 November 2016 – Sour Cream Pecan Sandies – 8 Tbs / 1 large egg

4 November 2016 – Keebler’s Pecan Sandies – 8 Tbs / 1 large egg

12 November 2016 – Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes – 1 large egg

13 November 2016 – Parmesan Walnut Crackers –  8 Tbs

18 November 2016 – Nut Tassie Dough – 16 Tbs

18 November 2016 – Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies – 16 Tbs / 2 large eggs

23 November 2016 – Cornbread for Dressing, two pans – 2 eggs

23 November 2016 – Sugar Cookies with Hershey’s Kiss – 8 Tbs / 1 large egg

23 November 2016 – Butter Crust – 5  1/3 Tbs butter

23 November 2016 – Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie – 4 Tbs / 6 large eggs (yolks only)

23 November 2016 – Sunday Sweet Potatoes – 5 1/3 Tbs / 2 large eggs / 4 Tbs

24 November 2016 – Cornbread Dressing – 3 Tbs / 2 large eggs

25 November 2016 – Lemon Bars – 8 Tbs / 5 large eggs

 

114.9 Tbs butter = 14.3625 sticks = 57.45 ozs = 3.59 pounds

7 eggs

 

Parmesan Walnut Crackers

I do love to make crackers. I have a cracker binder. I am guessing not many people have those. I mean a cheese cracker binder. Well, there it is. I just cannot help it, I love cheese crackers. This recipe was my winner in 2012 cracker challenge. Not my best year, but the best crackers. And I keep on making them again and again. 

8 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ozs freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
big pinch of fresh cayenne

Cream butter and Parmesan and mix well. Stir in flour, walnuts, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Form mixture to 1 inch logs and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days, or longer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut log into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake for 20 minutes until edges are golden.

Winner of the cheese cracker challenge. Yes, I do a cracker challenge quite often. So sad. And very geeky. But that is me.

I think I’ll do it in January just for fun with a new set of recipes. Might include cheese straws for this one. Or maybe not. We shall see.

Cheddar Parmesan Crackers

How weird is it that you have a binder full (!) of cheese cracker recipes? Who does this? No one.
Well, I do. I’m not even sure how this started really, but it did and these, as a group, are one of my favorite things to bake. I eat them for breakfast and for a snack when I get home and am making dinner. I love the fact that most of the crackers I make you can get the dough together and then bake up to a few (or more) days later. The slice and bake nature suits me for baking mid-week.
I have certain things I like about crackers: I prefer cheddar and/or Parmesan over Bleu cheese; nuts should be involved and I lean towards walnuts – pecans can be a bit sweet; my favorite herb is fresh rosemary; and there should always be bit of heat, usually provided by cayenne.
I guess the only thing about crackers is that humidity will effect them (or is it affect). I was correct with the effect – thankfully.
They still taste amazing, but they are a bit soft. Something that cannot be helped even this time of year. It’s early November and humid and in the 80’s. That’s our “fall” as it were.

4 ozs. cheddar, gated on the big holes of a box grater (no pre grated)
2 ozs. Parmesan, finely grated
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1:4 tsp dry mustard (Coleman’s)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 Tbs unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
2 Tbs cold water, plus more if needed

In a food processor, blend all ingredients except butter and water. Pulse five times to make sure all ingredients are mixed well. Add small pieces of butter, and pulse until pea sized dough. Add water, a tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts to hold together.

Dump the dough on to waxed paper and roll into a log about 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to two days (Or freeze for up to a month).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut log into 1/4 inch slices and arrange slices on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 14 – 15 minutes, rotating pan half way through, until lightly golden. Cool on a rack.

Notes: top crackers, before baking with finely chopped walnuts.

05 September 2006 – outstanding
21 December 2006
21 December 2008 – heaping 1/4 tsp mustard; 1/4 tsp cayenne = perfect
vvg – light and crisp – best cheddar cracker
6 March 2010 – still futzing with time and temp
6 December 2014
31 October 2015 – 38 crackers total, vg

Mrs. Lenkh’s Cheese Sables

Cheese Sables

I’ve had this recipe printed for about ever and in my cracker binder – yes, I have binder for cheese crackers – mock me if you dare. But I have never made this recipe until now. It uses way more butter than normal for a cheese cracker recipe, but it is super flaky.  It comes together easily and then I let it sit in the fridge for several days. About a week, if I’m going to be honest, though the recipe said two days – I know from experience with cheese crackers, you can just let that slide a bit. Thankfully. I like the idea of making something one day and then bake them a bit later – that works for me. I do the same thing when pickling.

Okay for a definition of a sable – I have my handy-dandy The New Food Lover’s Companion.   A book I relied on as an event planner – it’s small and pretty much tells you everything you need to know about food. My mentor had one and when I went off on my own way, it was one of the first things I bought. So the definition of a sable is – “The French word sable means sand (knew that) and the cookies are so named because of their delicate, crumbly texture.”*

• 9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. table salt **
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne (used about 1/4 tsp because I am me)
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 7 oz. (14 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 3-1/2 oz. (1-1/2 cups) finely grated sharp Cheddar
• 1-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional, nope – not optional – walnuts)
• 1 large egg yolk mixed with a pinch of paprika and 1/2 tsp. water, as a glaze (smoked Spanish paprika)
• Kosher or sea salt for sprinkling (didn’t use this at all) **

Put the flour, salt, cayenne, and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the butter is in small pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. Add the cheeses, pulse, and finally, add the egg and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together.

Dump the dough on an unfloured surface. If you’re using nuts ( yes, you are), sprinkle them on the pile of dough. Knead by lightly smearing the ingredients together as you push them away from you with the heel of your hand until the dough is cohesive. Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for an hour or two to let the butter firm.

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Stamp out shapes or cut shapes with a knife. Arrange 1-inch apart on two ungreased baking sheets. Reroll scraps once and stamp again.

Brush with the glaze and sprinkle lightly with kosher or sea salt. Bake until golden brown and thoroughly cooked inside, about 14 minutes, rotating the sheets from front to back and top to bottom about halfway through. To test, break one in half and look to see if the center still looks doughy. If so, cook for a few more minutes, but be careful not to overbake. Let cool on a rack and store only when completely cool.

Source: Fine Cooking

*The New Food Lover’s Companion, 2001. p. 531.

** My printed version of the recipe says 1 Tbs table salt, which I thought was total over load, especially with Parmesan,  so I kind of used not that much. And then I tasted the first batch with no extra salt and loved them. So that’s how I did it. And the sables are pretty much amazing. And they hold up pretty well over a week or so. Humidity didn’t seem to get to them. Nice.

Not sure who Mrs. Lenkh is, but I am thankful for this recipe. Another win in the cheese cracker department.

Parmesan, Rosemary, and Walnut Shortbread

Rosemary Parmesan Walnut Shortbread

I don’t really know how I started this cheese cracker thing but I’m glad I did. I mean, when  you have an entire binder for crackers, that may just be a little, well, nuts. I did set up some of my favorites in a competition of sorts in 2012 and judged on the following:

• Time to Mix / Log or Rolled out
• Dough Handling / Time to Chill
• Spicy / Nuts
• Flavor
• Crispy
• $
• All Around

These are by far my favorite cheese crackers. The taste is divine, texture excellent, and they keep quite well. Hence winner of the cracker challenge of 2012.  I honestly wonder why I make any others, but I enjoy experimenting. I have collected other recipes since then and need to stage the competition again –  perhaps this year.

8 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ozs freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted at 350 for 10 minutes, chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper

Cream butter, add Parmesan and mix well. Stir in flour, rosemary, walnuts, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Form the mixture into 1″ logs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an half an hour or up to three days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Cut logs into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden at the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 30. Source: Epicurious

14 May 2006 – Mom’s Day
1 July 2012 – Winner of the Cracker Challenge 2012
23 December 2013 -Christmas Eve
2 March 2015
7 March 2015 – just because I wanted more.

Now my goal is to create one of my own and I know it will include cheddar cheese, and perhaps some Parmesan, nuts – walnuts likely, cayenne, and rosemary.

Parmesan Shortbread – Nigella

Parmesan Shortbread

Parmesan Shortbread
Commentary: I just can’t help it. I love the way Nigella Lawson writes her recipes, “as uniform as possible without stressing over it…” That’s my idea of how to make things. It’s food. It should just be fun to do – if not, why are you bothering with it. I know it’s a cliche, but just keep it simple, really. Do love the use of the word cling film (is it a single word or not?).

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan
• 7 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
• 1 large egg yolk

Mix all the ingredients together – using bowl and spoon, electric mixer or food processor as wished – until a golden dough begins to form a clump.

Turn it out onto a surface and knead for about 30 seconds until smooth, then divide into two.

Take the first half and, using your hands, roll it into a cylinder, as uniform as possible without stressing over it, about 3cm / 1¼ inches in diameter. Make sure the ends are flat, too, so that the cylinder resembles a roll of coins. Now roll this up in a piece of clingfilm, twisting the clingfilm at the ends, like a Christmas cracker, and put the roll in the fridge, then proceed in the same way with the remaining half of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350ºF while the wrapped cylinders of dough rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes, by which time you should be able to cut them into thick slices easily: aim for about

1 cm / ½ inch thick.

Arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and put in the oven for 15–20 minutes, when they should be just beginning to turn a pale gold at the edges.

source: Nigella

Notes: I think this recipe needed a little salt, perhaps just before the go in the oven – a little Maldon wouldn’t be misplaced. I’m a bit of a cheese cracker nut and did a total nerdy “cracker challenge” in 2012 and discovered that I like some nuts in my cheese crackers, so I put a bit of pecan on these. I think it made them a bit “prettier” or something like that. When I do them again, some cayenne will be involved.

That said, they went over very well as I made them. And they looked pretty damn good.