Cheese and Herb Biscuits

 

A crispy cheesy buttery biscuit that deliciously compliments any cheeseboard or afternoon tea.  

Crunchy Cheese and Herb Biscuits

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makes approximately 24

115 grams (4oz) butter, softened

115 grams (4oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon summer savoury

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

175 grams (6oz) plain flour

1 to 2 tablespoons water, if needed

Cream the butter for 1 minute, then add the cheese, thyme, summer savoury, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Add the flour and combine for about 1 minute until the mixture is crumbly. If the mixture is a bit dry, add 1 tablespoon of water, at a time, to help bring the dough together. You want the dough to be thick but not sticky. 

Turn out the dough onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour and press into a ball. Roll the ball into a 23-cm/9 inch log. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. Cut the log into 24 rounds and place them on the prepared tray.

Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes until golden brown, turning the tray halfway through cooking. Leave the biscuits to cool on the tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.  

The sun and warmer temperatures have returned just in time for the weekend. Hope everyone is well and staying safe. - JD 

Rosemary Crackers

These simple crackers have a subtle nutty rosemary flavour with a slightly salted top. A wonderful pairing to accompany any cheese board. 

Rosemary Crackers

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1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup chickpea flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup warm water

1/3 cup olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

sea salt, to lightly sprinkle on top, optional

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC) Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine, flour, chickpea flour, baking powder, sesame seeds, and  chopped rosemary. Stir in the water and oil, mixing until a smooth dough has formed. Halve the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough into a large square, as thin aa you can get it... about 1/4 inch or so, they will puff up a bit more in the oven. You can also roll the dough out on a clean sheet of baking parchment paper. 

Cut rolled out dough into small squares or shapes, by hand or by cutter. Place the shapes on to the prepared baking sheet. Pierce with a fork and lightly sprinkle with the sea salt.

Bake until crackers are dry and golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pulling the really brown ones. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. 

Notes: you can add more or less of the sesame seeds or not add them at all, it comes down to personal taste. You may also try using a different oil. I cut the cracker dough into shapes by hand, using a ravioli cutter.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! - JD 

Chocolate Water Biscuits ~ for cheese

Rifling through cookbooks, I stumbled across this recipe from the Adventures with Chocolate cookbook by Paul. A Young. Unusual however very decadent with a variety of cheeses. A subtle cocoa flavour that enhances the cheese board experience any time. 

Chocolate Water Biscuits ~ for cheese

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2 1/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon English mustard powder, optional

Your choice of spice or herbs, optional 

6 teaspoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup ice-cold water, as needed

Place the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, including any flavourings, in a large bowl and mix well. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until evenly combined. Gradually add enough ice water to form a pliable dough; this must not be too sticky, so be careful when adding the water. Knead the dough gently until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest and relax.

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.

Roll the dough on a well-floured surface to 1/8 inch thick or thereabouts. Use a round cutter to cut out circles of your preferred size, e.g. a 1 inch cutter for canapé-sized biscuits, or 2 inches for cheese biscuits; alternatively, use a sharp knife to cut into squares or rectangles. Prick each biscuit with a fork. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, about 10 - 12 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.

The biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.

Notes: I found that I needed to add a bit more ice cold water than the recipe stated.

It was great to have such a nice break. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! - JD  

Our Vegan / Vegetarian Dinner Party

The other night we had a dinner party with friends and the dinner menu was mostly vegan and or vegetarian. We started off the night with homemade hummus and crackers. The herbed sesame crackers were made by my daughter and myself.   

My son was in charge of drinks. He decided to create a lovely summery fruit punch which consisted of raspberry juice and tonic water with slices of oranges. It was a delicate flavour with a bit of zing.   

The main was marinated tofu burgers with vegan buns. Flavourful and very, very tasty. I will post the recipe tomorrow. They were dressed with red onion, tomatoes, pickles, and...

pineapple relish. Last week I posted about the cookbook, Haute Dog and shared a recipe from the book which was the pineapple relish. I decided that the relish would be perfect with the tofu burgers. It complimented everything nicely and was a big hit. 

The side was a salad. It is hard to believe that underneath all those veggies there were tender greens and spinach. A homemade mustard vinaigrette was the accompanying   salad dressing.   

Dessert was a light fruit salad. Fresh juicy berries and tart plums lightly tossed in coconut sugar. Something  to refresh the palate.

Hope everyone had a good long weekend. It is Wednesday, the middle of the week, and the to do list keeps growing. - JD 

Chickpea Flour Crackers

I guess the chickpea flour was calling out to me from the pantry so I decided to make crackers. Savoury bite sized morsels for snacking or with soup. A bit of blue cheese or stilton on top would do nicely too.  

Chickpea Flour Crackers 

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1 cup flour

1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds*
1/2 teaspoon paprika*
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil*

* You may want to try other ingredients such as cayenne, sunflower seeds, chives, turmeric, cumin, or curry powder.
* I used Camelina oil instead of vegetable oil or light olive oil. Coconut oil would also be a nice substitution.

Method:    

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. Get a baking tray and set aside.   

In a large bowl, combine flour, chickpea flour salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, paprika, and parmesan cheese.

Stir in water and oil, mixing until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough in two halves.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a clean flat surface. Take one half of the dough and gently shape it into a square or a nicely compact rectangle. With a well floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large square as thin as you can get it. Roughly about a 1/4 inch. You will have to keep re-flouring the rolling pin because the dough is soft and a bit sticky or lightly flour the top of the dough as you roll. 

Once the dough is all rolled out cut into small pieces using a knife or a pastry wheel cutter or a small cookie cutter. I used a pastry wheel cutter. Using a fork pierce all over the dough. This prevents the crackers from puffing up too much. Lift the parchment paper with the doughy crackers carefully over to the baking tray and place it on baking tray, parchment paper and all. Easy... no transferring onto the tray or greasing the tray. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Bake until crackers are dry and golden... for about 10 -13 minutes. You may have to pull the really brown as they bake to prevent them from burning. Cool on wire racks, parchment paper and all, and store in an air tight container. 

What started out as a square became looking more like a geographical land mass. I rolled the dough as best I could. Cut it into squares and they were ready for the oven.  

After 13 minutes they were puffed up and browning nicely. However I found a few extra minutes helped to achieve a more toasted baked look. Easy to pull apart and crisp.

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD