Flax Seed and Cracked Pepper Crackers
Published February 12, 2012 | 
This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at GirliChef.
No, you’re not hallucinating, I have indeed agreed to be a part of my first group cooking project which happens to involve nothing but baking.
Me, who won’t, can’t and does not like to bake.
Me, who ruined the Rhoades frozen rolls at Thanksgiving.
Me, who recently ran to the store and bought a box of Jiffy rather than make something as easy as cornbread my scratch.
This project is also a vehicle to promote a new cookbook by “Joy the Baker“. Always great news to see one of our fellow bloggers publish a cookbook.
For our first project, we were given the option of preparing Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting, or Flax Seed and Cracked Pepper Crackers. Being the savory type, and obviously “crazy in the head”, I chose those crackers over chocolate fudge and butter-cream.
After reading the recipe, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to find some of the ingredients. Sounding completely foreign to me were things like golden flax seed…ground flax seed meal…flour…OK so I’m exaggerating on flour, everyone knows I’ve used it to bread meat. But thanks to my local health food store, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, I was delighted to come out with every single item I needed. The flax products were in the back corner in the vitamin section??? Took me a while to find them.
Let’s get started.
The instructions appeared to be simple and straight forward and warned that the dough would be “shaggy” before turning it out on my lightly floured surface. Going to work with my shaggy dough and lightly floured rolling pin, I realized something was obviously wrong. This stuff was absolutely not going to roll into anything. Being doughaphobic and not familiar with how it should look and feel, I made an executive decision to correct the problem by adding another teaspoon of buttermilk…
Seemed like things were rolling along much smoother.
I got the dough rolled out to 1/8 inch thick. Instructions then said to use a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter or a pizza cutter to cut into squares. I did the latter since I don’t own a cookie cutter. At this point, I was extremely proud of my perfect little square crackers. Just bake the them for about 18 minutes until golden and you’re done. Easy.
Result:
Texture: A little chewy. I’m not sure if that’s how they’re supposed to be? I’ll be anxious to read other posts.
Flavor: Love the nutty accent that the flax brings to this cracker. And the pepper? I’m a big fan so added even more than I thought would be socially acceptable. And after a smear of goat cheese, as Joy suggests in her book, I was smitten.
Process: After the inauspicious beginning, these were a breeze to make. A fun project for a snowy day.
Flax Seed and Cracked Pepper Crackers…They’re what’s for a Healthy Snack.
- One Year Ago: Larry’s Smoked Salmon Spread
- Two Years Ago: Louisiana Sunburst Salad
| Flax Seed and Cracked Pepper Crackers |
|
: Appetiser
:
: 30 mins
: 20 mins
: 50 mins
Makes about 4 dozen crackers
- 1//4 c. golden flax seed
- 1/4 c. ground flax seed meal
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1/2 c. buttermilk
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flaxseed, flaxseed meal, flours, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter, and using your fingers, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients. Some of the butter will resemble oatmeal flakes; others will be the size of small pebbles. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the buttermilk, and use a fork to bring all of the ingredients together. Make sure that every bit of flour is moistened by the buttermilk. The dough will be shaggy.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out half of the dough. Roll just thinner than ⅛ inch thick. Use a 1½-inch round cookie cutter to cut out crackers, or use a pizza cutter to trim the edges and cut the dough into 1½-inch squares. Prick each cracker with the tines of a fork and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake crackers for 15 to 18 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container to store.
- Will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 4 days.
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. http://www.girlichef.com/2012/02/cookbook-spotlight-cook-off-joy-baker.html
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On the buffet, I noticed an inviting bowl of salsa sitting sitting next to a big bowl of tortilla chips. Bright, fresh, colorful and chunky I raced for a chip to scoop up a bite. Just as I thought…fabulous. I sought out host, Sandra, to ask her the brand and where to purchase it. To my delight she replied that it was her own recipe and she had made it herself. And best of all, she shared the recipe with me.
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In Rocky Mountain National Park
Our rock and roll loving, wine drinking, bird watching friends Nancy and Neal (California) and Thomas (Ohio) descended on Colorado last week. A couple of days spent in Denver included a lovely dinner at Ja Ja’s a great little French Bistro, and a tapas-style dinner on our back deck the next evening. Throw in a week-long trip to the high country where we stayed at a rustic cabin at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park on a sleepy little mountain lake, complete with moose, marmot, mink, otter, chipmunk, chickoree, ptarmigan, elk, deer, bats and miscellaneous riff-raff (racoon), and you’ve got a fabulous little vacation. “Paradise” as one of us coined it.
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The 10-day extravaganza included many memorable culinary moments:
- Foie gras at Ja Ja’s French Bistro in Littleton.
- Elk medallions at The Rapids Lodge.
- An evening meal on the porch at Grand Lake Lodge complete with a rainbow over the lake and spectacular views of craggy mountain peaks.
- A grilled chicken dinner on the back deck of our cabin.
- Huevos rancheros and a mouth-watering cinnamon roll at The Sagebrush BBQ and Grill.
- Near fist fights over my spicy orange chocolate brownies.
- A picnic lunch at Lake Irene on Milner Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Yogurt and granola breakfasts on the back deck while watching hummingbirds buzz around our heads.
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the pontoon boat trip on Grand Lake.
Of course it wasn’t all about food. Lots of hikes, visiting, scenic drives over cliff-hanging Trail Ridge Road, and for you birdwatchers, a hike out onto the tundra produced views of the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan, one male and a female with three chicks. We topped the week off with a serene pontoon boat ride on Grand Lake with Nautical Neal at the helm.
With all that said, let’s take a look at my tapas meal here at the house. Our Colorado evenings have been so lovely that I opted for a casual meal on the back deck rather than stuff everyone around a dining table. I really enjoyed the mostly no-cook offerings with my new favorite discovery being a shiitake mushroom bruschetta dish that I found from a fellow food blogger. I’ll post that recipe tomorrow. Let’s take a look at the starters.
First up was platter of Amadeus cheese, fig jam, grapes and water crackers. Amadeus is a pasteurized cows’ milk cheese from Austria. It’s pale yellow, smooth, creamy, and rich in texture. It’s one of my favorites with fruit and crackers.
An idea from Vickie over at Part Three was a large plate of assorted skewers made a colorful and filling addition to our outdoor meal. Double stuffed garlic and jalapeno olives, dry salami and sun-dried tomatoes complimented traditional caprese skewers of cherry tomatoes, basil and small fresh mozzarella pearls. You can find these small mozzarella pearls at Costco, along with the double stuffed olives. I really liked how the flavors on this plate flowed. The briney olive and salty salami were complimented with the next bites of cool creamy mozzarella, the fresh basil and sweet tomato skewers.
Stay tuned over the next couple of days for the rest of the story. A couple of great recipes coming up that you’ll want to save for your next tapas style, appetizer party and some more photos of the trip.
Tapas…It’s What’s for Dinner on the Deck.
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