Friday, August 28, 2009

Cheddar Crackers with Tomato Jam

I recently participated in a jam exchange at Steph Chows. She stopped by my site and asked me to join in the fun. I never realized that she lives here in Rochester. Whoa- that is totally cool. Now, I think I should organize Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo bloggers for a get together.
My package arrived with two little jars of jelly inside. Two tastey morsels of amazing, melt in your mouth, delicious, perfectly flavored tomato jam. I had to think of something special to do with the jam. The jam is from Natalie of Natalie's Killer Cuisine. (go check out her jam, it is AMAZING).

After returning from our trip and quick look at the fridge's contents told me I needed to do something real fast with the sharp cheddar that I had in there. I had two packs from a recent trip to an Amish store in Penn Yan. The one had an end that was starting to mold. I shaved off that end and shredded all of it up to make some amazing cheddar crackers. The crackers are amazing but paired with this jam, it is a combination that takes taste over the top. After I had the jam with it, the plain crackers just did not taste as good.

In the words of Andy Griffith, "Good cracker."

Aged Cheddar Crackers
inspired from this recipe at EpicuriousItalic
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 lb sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (preferably in a food processor)
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon nigella seeds

Blend together butter, cheese, and yolk in food processor until smooth. Add flour, dried mustard, and salt and pulse until just combined. Add pepper and nigella seeds, and pulse until combined well, then transfer to a sheet of wax paper. Shape into a log (1 1/2 - 2 inches thick), using paper as an aid, then roll up log in paper and twist ends of paper to close. Chill log until firm, about 2 hours.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap log and cut enough thin slices (about 1/8 inch thick) from it to fill baking sheet, arranging slices 1 inch apart. Return log to fridge. Bake until edges of crackers are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer on parchment to a rack and cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Make more crackers in batches with remaining dough.

Serve crackers warm or at room temperature.

Cooks' notes: Dough can be chilled, wrapped additionally in foil or in a sealed plastic bag, 1 week or frozen 2 months. Crackers can be baked 1 week ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. If desired, reheat on 2 baking sheets in a preheated 350°F oven about 5 minutes.


15 comments:

Katy ~ said...

Exquisite bites!

The Blonde Duck said...

How cute is that!

chow and chatter said...

wow cheese and tomato perfect

Tracy said...

I've been thinking the same thing about a Rochester blogger get together. It would be fun to meet.

grace said...

ooooh, andy griffith. he's my grandpa's hero, and i adore him too. :)
that jam looks totally unique and amazing, and the crackers are the perfect way to eat it!

Mary Bergfeld said...

What gorgeous morsels. I'll wager they were fantastic.

Lucy..♥ said...

WOW oh WOW what an excellent choice!! You really know how to get those taste buds a tingling : ))
Ya ever get down to Westchester Cty????

Lori said...

Thank you all.

Lucy- I have not been there but vertainly if I did I would love to meet you for lunch! You are always welcome here!

Ju (The Little Teochew) said...

My gosh - Cheddar Crackers? Brilliant! Wow.

Lynn said...

Mmmm, your whole post has me drooling. Your crackers sound really yummy. And of course I had to go check out the jam exchange, and click on everyone's links over there ;) All those jams look so delicious. What a fun idea.

Food For Tots said...

Those cute crackers look absolutely fabulous! I love the pairing. So irresitable!

Teanna DiMicco said...

Ohhh I have yet to successfully make a cracker! That dish looks so good! And the tomato jam sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

They sound wonderful, what are nigella seeds, they look like poppy seeds, I suppose they would work just as well.

Unknown said...

how good are homemade crackers, seriously! That combo is so perfectly sweet and savory. The perfect late night snack.

I have heard of these nigella seeds a lot. What are they?

sara/imafoodblog.com

Lori said...

imafoodblog- Nigella seeds are from an annual flowering plant that grows in Asia. They taste a bit like onion but have a slight bitter taste. The are always an amazingly tastey addition to crackers. There is no bitter taste in the cracker though.