Crackers for Oscar
Oh, we all love cheese straws! Most all of us have eaten and enjoyed them, if not made them. The lovely cheesy bites pictured here are the more sophisticated cousin of the cheese straw.Oscar will make his arrival on the scene this Sunday. If you want a delicious and addictive treat that everyone at your Oscar get-together will love, this is it! Simple and simply delicious. Make these wonderful crackers and you can be the star of the evening! Make several batches and leave them in your freezer. Just pull them out, bake them in a flash, and have a fabulous appetizer or a tasty treat to serve with a glass of wine anytime you want. Like this Sunday perhaps, while you watch Hollywood royalty make their grand entrances and give and receive those golden statues we call Oscar.
However you celebrate Hollywood’s big night, enjoy yourself, and check back with us next week as we banter about those wonderful gowns, and all the great fashion Oscar brings out 🙂
This recipe comes from one of our favorite cooks, Ina Garten…The Barefoot Contessa.
Jalapeño Cheddar Crackers
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¹⁄8 teaspoon baking powder
14 tablespoons (13/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, 1/2-inch-diced
5 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar, grated
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
3 tablespoons ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
Fleur de sel or sea salt
Place the flour, kosher salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheddar, jalapeño, and chipotle chili powder and pulse again. With the food processor running, add the ice water all at once. Continue pulsing until the mixture begins to form a ball. Dump the dough onto a floured board
Roll it into a 14-inch log.
Cut the log in half. Wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Cut the dough in 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place the crackers on the prepared sheet pan. Brush with the egg wash.
Sprinkle with the fleur de sel.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Makes 32 to 34 crackers
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These sound wonderful, and perhaps addictive! Thanks.
I make mine from a Southern recipe, without the “hot” added. The cheese does not bleed through when baked. I do add bacon bits and roll them out cutting with a small pig shape cookie cutter. Quite amusing to see and eat!
Wendy
This recipe was one of Ina Garten’s and they are quite tasty but I know that not everyone likes “hot” foods. We would love to have your recipe Wendy, if you are willing to share it. We will pass it along.