My mom (i.e. the biggest fan of the blog that only a mother could love) feels that people would be more interested in reading my drivel if I discuss recipes that can help them save money in these lean economic times. And while I am not ready to go about re-positioning my blog, there are many times that my recipes just happen to save me money. Here’s a good example, in word problem form:
Lauren has a bad habit of walking into cheese or specialty food stores primed to entertain, and spending an embarrassing sum on artisanal cheeses, crackers, and other snotty delights. One of her favorite boutique-y brands is Wisecrackers, whose rosemary herb crackers are a NYC steal at $5.29 a box. If Lauren comes to her senses and reminds herself that she is a little bit handy in the kitchen, she would then realize that with $.25 worth of flour and salt, $.25 worth of olive oil and approximately $.50 worth of fresh rosemary, she can make fresh-from-the oven crackers in about 20 minutes. How much money will Lauren save by making her crackers at home?
Now I’ve never been accused of being a math genius or anything, but that leaves just about enough to splurge on a delicious latte on the way home from the store.
There is simply no excuse not to make crackers at home.
Because these crackers are as delicious as my beloved Wisecrackers.
They are also a lot more pretty. And crispy. And fragrant.
They were an absolutely perfect accompaniment to the Butternut Squash Soup.
Also, they look really cool on your cheese table at parties. Your guests will think you are a totally badass baker making your own crackers, when in fact you are just trying to save a buck and barely had to do any work at all.
Crisp Rosemary Flatbreads
Perfect as is from Gourmet, October 2008
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.
Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.
Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).
Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.
12 Comments
Hey Lauren, it’s Dev’s brother. She got me reading your blog and it’s absolutely fantastic!
I’m going to make these crackers to go with the soup I’m making on Wednesday.
Thanks for doing this…it’s great!
–Matt
Love it. Will making my own crispty flatbread justify $35/lb cheese purchases? I think so!
Matt – Cheers on your graduation, first off! Glad I could help. What kind of soup are you making?
Jo – Especially if you have me over to help you eat the cheeses.
Mmmm, this would be great with a bit of goat cheese. We can taste it now…
Great looking crackers, something hubby and I would love.
You have to tell me what kind of camera your using for your awesome shots. The photograph looks good enough to eat itself.
I don’t care for rosemary much, so I substituted fresh parsley and it worked great. Also, I scored the dough before baking it and that prevented bubbles from forming, which happened with my first batch. Probably because I used a less pokey herb than you did.
I love your blog! Keep on cooking!
Duo – An excellent pairing! If I had not been planning to use my goat cheese for an upcoming recipe (spoiler alert!) of goat cheese and caramelized onion pizza, I’m pretty sure I would have sprinkled some on.
Cathe – Thanks! I hope that you and your hubby try them soon. I take most of my pictures on a Canon EOS Rebel purchased in 2003. There are also shots on the blog taken with a point and click Canon PowerShot.
Heather – Mmmmm, love your thinking outside the box with the fresh parsley! You’re right about the rosemary – no need to poke holes with the spiny herbs. Glad you caught that for your own batches. Cheers!
I’ll give these crackers a try this weekend for sure. They will go great with the cheese I just picked up. Thanks
we have a rosemary bush outside and, after rosemary potatoes once or twice a week for the first 2 months of fall, we’ve been a little anti-rosemary. BUT, i can’t wait to make these. have i mentioned that i procrastinate reading for contracts/property/insert other boring classes here by reading your blog?? making the blueberry crumbcake this weekend:)
Food Hunter – Cheers to cheese and homemade crackers!
Shelby – I totally hear you on the rosemary overload! We grew rosemary on our balcony this summer and it led to rosemary overkill. I think I even made desserts with it. Things are much better now that I am forced to go out of my way to get it in the winter. The blog cannot be held responsible for falling GPAs or missing homework assignments, but I hope you will enjoy EVK responsibly (and often)!
I love rosemary and these look delicious. Perfect with the cheese I just bought today.
Lisa – Although there are few things that are not perfect with cheese, these are made for it – especially for stinky cheeses, because they are slightly sweet and salty for a nice contrast. Cheers!