Parmesan and Thyme Crackers
This recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics cookbook by Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa is one of my favorite cooking shows and Ina Garten one of my favorite cookbook authors! I recently made these crackers for a Palisade Ladies of a Certain Age gathering I organized. No surprise, the crackers were a hit and turns out pair nicely with red wine! I’ve included the exact title, author and ISBN number below should you be interested in purchasing this amazing cookbook!
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients
By Ina Garten
ISBN 978-1-4000-5435-0
The recipe is supposed to make 24 crackers but when I make it, I come up short, probably because my crackers are a little on the larger size!
Ingredients:
¼ pound (1 stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup) – I have also used per grated Parmesan and it works just as well.
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon of kosher salt – I use course sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for one minute. With the mixer on low speed, add the Parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper and combine. With the mixer still on low, add flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about one minute. If the dough is too dry, add one teaspoon of water (I’ve found that I’ve needed to add up to ¼ cup of water to get the dough to a consistency that works for me.)
Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to four days. Garten notes in her cookbook that “you can make the roll ahead and freeze it for up to six months; defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then slice and bake when you’re ready to serve the crackers.”
After the dough has chilled, cut the log into 3/8-inch-thick rounds with a small, sharp knife and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 22 minutes until very lightly browned. Rotate the pan once during baking. Cool and serve at room temperature. These crackers are savory and are a perfect appetizer for your holiday gathering!
Bon Appetit!
