Cracker It

Several weeks ago I had the chance to attend an author event at the wondrous Omnivore Books on Food (I've been on their email list for a while and have missed out on some cool events, so I was happy to finally make it to one). The author was Karen Solomon, and she was talking about her awesome new book,Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it, And Other Cooking Projects. Karen refers to the recipes in the books as “DIY kitchen crafting projects,” which is certainly an apt description for endeavors such as making your own cheese, bacon, and peanut butter cups. The book is jam-packed with intriguing and scrumptious-looking projects, with very detailed instructions (and time commitments) for the various processes. I highly recommend checking it out.



I decided to start with a simple and practical recipe: crackers! I love artisan crackers, but they’re rather expensive, so I am delighted I can now make them at home with ingredients that are always in my pantry. The cracker dough is very easy to work with (I had no problem rolling it before it chilled) and you can vary the mix-ins or toppings to your taste. I used a ruler in an attempt to make straight lines and even crackers– not terribly successful – and sliced them with a pizza cutter. Both times I’ve made these, I’ve used the basic cracker recipe with olive oil rather than canola for a slightly richer cracker and topped them with seeds; I’m also anxious to try the cheese version. You can find a printable version of the recipe HERE. I gave this recipe an 8 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, giving it and EDR of 3.2.