Pecorino Cracker Crisps Food

PECORINO CRACKER CRISPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350.
• Combine cheese, salt, pepper and butter in a bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
• Add flour and beat until just combined.
• Turn dough out on to a sheet of plastic wrap, roll into a log shape and wrap well.
• Place into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
• Remover from freezer and unwrap. Slice dough about 1/8 inch thick. About the width of an average cracker.
• Bake on a silpat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes or just getting golden on the edges.
• Let cool on sheet after removing from oven for a few minutes then carefully remove with a spatula to serve or store.

CACIO E PEPE FRICO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss together the cheeses.
• Arrange heaping tablespoon-size mounds of the cheese mixture on the baking sheets, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart. Using your fingers, gently pat down each mound to flatten. (It's O.K. if there are holes - the cheese will melt into a web.) Grind pepper over each round.
• Bake until golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets until crisp, then transfer to a serving plate using an offset spatula.

CACIO E PEPE CRACKERS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, pepper, salt and spices (if using), and pulse to combine.
• Add the Cheddar, Asiago and butter, and pulse several times, then let the mixer run until the dough comes mostly together around the blade, 1 to 3 minutes. It's OK if the dough is a little pebbly, but it should clump easily when you squeeze it. (You can also prepare this dough by hand, though you'll need to bring the butter to room temperature first. Mix all your dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, in a large bowl, mix Cheddar, Asiago and butter to form a paste. Add the flour mixture and knead the dough together.)
• Pull your dough out of your bowl onto a flat surface and gently knead it into a smooth ball. Split your dough in half and shape each half into a rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece until about 1/2-inch thick, dusting a tiny bit of flour on your pin, if needed, to prevent the dough from sticking. (If you don't want to bake all the crackers now, you can freeze dough in 1/2-inch-thick blocks.)
• Place a piece of dough in the center of an 18-inch-long piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough on the parchment paper, working from the center outward. (You want the dough to adhere to the bottom layer of parchment, but if your rolling pin sticks to the surface, lightly dust it with flour.) When your dough is about 1/4-inch thick, lay another piece of parchment, plastic wrap, or a silicone baking mat over the surface of your dough. Continue to roll the dough out 1/8- to 1/16-inch thick, as thin as your arms will allow, pressing together any cracks that may form. (You can also use an etching motion, moving your pin from the center out toward the edges across your dough.) Rotate the parchment in front of you with every few strokes to ensure you are rolling the dough evenly.
• Peel back the top layer of parchment and sprinkle the surface with half the Pecorino Romano and a dozen or so grinds of black pepper across the surface. Lightly roll over once more with your rolling pin so the cheese and pepper adheres to the cracker dough. Transfer this sheeted dough onto a baking sheet and chill in the fridge or freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. (If you let it chill longer, just pull it out and let it temper a bit before proceeding.) Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• When the dough is nearly chilled, arrange the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees. Remove one sheet of dough from the tray and place on a work surface.
• Using a pastry wheel (fluted is nice), pizza cutter or a sharp knife and a ruler, cut 1-inch squares across the surface of the dough. (A 1-inch-thick ruler or tracer made from card stock or cardboard comes in handy here.) Transfer crackers to parchment-lined baking sheets with 1/2-inch space in between. (They will not spread much.) If your dough warms up or is difficult to peel and place, just slip it back into the freezer still attached to your parchment paper and let it firm up, then proceed.
• Bake the crackers in the center of your oven for 14 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness), rotating trays midway through baking to ensure they color evenly. Crackers will be just golden at the edges and the surface should be firm to the touch. You want them to dry crisp. (Test by pulling one cracker off the tray, let it quickly cool and break it in half to see how it snaps.) Remove from the oven and cool on trays.
• Once fully cooled, store crackers in a tin or covered container for up to 4 weeks.

GIADA'S PECORINO CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter.
• Using a hand mixer, beat the cheese mixture and butter until combined. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing only until incorporated and the mixture holds together.
• Place tablespoon-sized balls of the dough on 1 or 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, tapping the dough down gently with your fingertips. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes.
• Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.

SOURDOUGH CRACKERS WITH THYME, TRUFFLE, & PECORINO

Steps:

• Into a large mixing bowl, place the starter, flour, butter, thyme, pecorino, truffle salt, and pepper.
• Mix well and then knead a bit into a smooth, cohesive dough.
• Divide dough in half and shape each half into a rough rectangle. Wrap in parchment or plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
• Lightly flour a piece of parchment. Place one piece of the dough onto the parchment and lightly flour that, too.
• Roll out the dough to a thickness between 1/8- and 1/16 inch.
• Brush surface of dough with olive oil.
• Prick dough all over with a fork.
• Transfer the dough, still on parchment, to a baking sheet.
• Cut dough into rectangles or squares, about 1 1/4 inches per side.
• Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown, turning the pan halfway through. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Cool before serving.

CHEESE CRISPS AND MOCK "GOLDFISH" CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Stack the slices of American cheese and cut it into 16 small squares. Separate the pieces, and transfer them to a small bowl. Add the salt, chili powder, and garlic powder toss to combine. Arrange the 32 cheese pieces in 4 rows of 8, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving as much space in between each as possible.
• Stack the Colby-Jack slices and cut them into about 24 small pieces. Arrange them on another parchment paper-lined baking sheet in 4 rows of 6¿without any seasonings.
• Bake both until well-browned and crispy, about 7 and 7 1/2 minutes. If undercooked, they'll be soggy, so don't be afraid to check them and put them back in for more time, if needed.
• Cool the crisps and crackers completely before serving¿as they cool, they'll crisp up. Store on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.

PECORINO CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the cheese mixture and butter until combined. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing only until incorporated and the mixture holds together.
• Place tablespoon-sized balls of the dough on 1 or 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, tapping the dough down gently with your fingertips. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.

ASSORTED CHEDDAR CRISPS

Steps:

• Blend together butter, cheese, and yolk in food processor until smooth. Add flour, dried mustard, and salt and pulse until just combined. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper and divide into 3 portions (do not clean processor).
• Return 1 portion to processor, add pepper, and pulse until combined well, then transfer to another sheet of wax paper. Shape into a 7-inch-long log (1 1/2 inches thick), using paper as an aid, then roll up log in paper and twist ends of paper to close. Make 2 more logs on separate sheets of wax paper in same manner, using caraway seeds for second log and nigella seeds for third log (instead of pepper) and cleaning processor in between batches. Chill logs 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 1 log and cut enough thin slices (about 1/8 inch thick) from it to fill baking sheet, arranging slices 1 inch apart. 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.