No matter how long I live in the US, I will forever think of crackers as crispy thin things and biscuits as buttery soft things that are either savory or sweet. All partaken with hot cups of tea or chai of course!
It is only after coming to the US that I realized that the biscuits here were much like scones elsewhere.
Needless to say, I still trip over my own tongue when ordering these biscuits ...errr... crackers at tea shops or at bakeries here. This has however not stopped me from fixing these as a ready snack no matter what you choose to call them.
These after all are quite simply delicious and so easy to make that even those prone to long bouts of procrastination (like moi) will find themselves able to return to their bouts with much haste. The addition of cumin is thanks to my Dad.
If you ever so happen to offer my father his afternoon tea without a cracker/biscuit, you will find yourself running back to the biscuit tin for a few. These would invariably be savory and most likely be without cheese but with cumin because Dad knows a good thing & that's how he likes them.
Quite frankly, the cumin with the cheddar cheese is genius (not shy are we?) and not only great for afternoon tea but warmed up they also make a nice offering on the buffet table as part of a meal with let's say a fig chutney and some fresh goat cheese. Tell me you see it!
To make these delights the few ingredients required are:
softened unsalted butter, cayenne pepper, whole cumin seeds, sharp cheddar cheese, all purpose flour & a pinch of salt.
Feel free to omit the cayenne pepper if you'd rather not have that touch of heat.
Prepare the ingredients -
Cheese - Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside.
In a bowl, add the softened butter and the cheddar cheese. With a hand immersion blender, thoroughly blend the ingredients till creamy.
Add the cayenne pepper and salt and blend again.
Add the cumin seeds. With a spatula (do not use the hand blender, you do not want to crush the seeds) mix the seeds into the dough so it is well incorporated.
Sprinkle a clean working surface with a wee bit of all purpose flour. Roll the dough so it forms a uniform log of about 1-1/2" diameter.
Wrap the log in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and set aside for 10 minutes.
In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 deg F
On a clean cutting board cut the log into 1/4" thick circles.
Place on a baking tray lined with a parchment sheet. Make sure the dough circles are not touching and at least 1/2" apart.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes to serve warm.
Allow the crackers to cool completely on a baking rack before storing in an airtight container.
Salty, buttery, flaky & infused with the aroma of cumin. In short- delicious! What else is there to say?
Recipe
for
Cumin & Cheddar Crackers {or is it Biscuits?}
Preparation
time - 10 minutes
Chilling
Time - 30 minutes
Baking Time - 25 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping
list
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter (1/4 lb)
3-1/2 oz cheddar cheese, (freshly shredded by weight)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp salt
Cheese - Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside.
Baking Method -
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F
In a bowl, add the softened butter and the cheddar cheese. With a hand immersion blender, thoroughly blend the ingredients till creamy.
Add the cayenne pepper and salt and blend again.
Add the cumin seeds. With a spatula (do not use the hand blender, you do not want to crush the seeds) mix the seeds into the dough so it is well incorporated.
Sprinkle a clean working surface with a wee bit of all purpose flour. Roll the dough so it forms a uniform log of about 1-1/2" diameter.
Wrap the log in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and set aside for 10 minutes.
On a clean cutting board cut the log into 1/4" thick circles.
Place on a baking tray lined with a parchment sheet. Make sure the dough circles are not touching and at least 1/2" apart.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes to serve warm.
Allow the crackers to cool completely on a baking rack before storing in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
Recent Comments