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| Gorgeous Cheese Platter: Home-made Date & Nut Crackers with Balsamic Onion Cheddar, Camberzola, fresh dates, grapes, celery & walnuts 'Best I've ever had.' 'Very satisfying crunch; love the combo of dates, nuts & cheese.' |
Nothing pleases more than home-made crackers but these fruit and nut wafers are the stuff of heaven.
They are a crispy take on fruit and nut breads, the usual posh complement to cheese.
The crackers are crunchy and delicately earthy; they go beautifully with hard or soft cheeses. Exquisite as they are, they will require a bit of a financial outlay if you haven't a store of nuts and seeds on hand. That said, the recipe makes a good 50-70 crackers.
The original recipe is from Canadian tv baking guru Anna Olsen; 67 has been meaning to test it for ages. A few changes were made to take account of 67's cupboard stores.
All-told, the crackers are pretty healthy - no fat and lots of fibre. Half the flour is wholemeal and the sweetener includes mineral-and-vitamin laden molasses. Stick to maple syrup and plant yoghurt and the crackers become vegan.
Once the ingredients are on hand, the actual making of the crackers is easy. There are two stages - start the recipe a day in advance - but there can be a gap of up to 3 days - or longer - before stage 2. The crackers can be frozen after the first stage.
These crackers may not be suitable for children.
Cost: £8-9ish, depending on what's in the cupboard (12/24)
Makes: 50-70 crackers; dough can be frozen
Ingreds:
70gm/2.4oz dried cranberries
100gm/3.5oz finely chopped fresh or dried dates
70gm/2.5oz pecans or walnuts
100gm/3.5oz pumpkin seeds or mixed sunflower & pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup/60ml maple syrup or runny honey
2 tbsp molasses/black treacle
2 cups/500gm buttermilk OR 1.5cups/375gm plant yoghurt mixed with 1/2cup/125gm water or dairy or plant milk
150gm/5.2oz plain flour
150gm/5.2oz wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
50gm/1.75oz soft brown sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp dried cardomom
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
Tips:
They are a crispy take on fruit and nut breads, the usual posh complement to cheese.
The crackers are crunchy and delicately earthy; they go beautifully with hard or soft cheeses. Exquisite as they are, they will require a bit of a financial outlay if you haven't a store of nuts and seeds on hand. That said, the recipe makes a good 50-70 crackers.
The original recipe is from Canadian tv baking guru Anna Olsen; 67 has been meaning to test it for ages. A few changes were made to take account of 67's cupboard stores.
All-told, the crackers are pretty healthy - no fat and lots of fibre. Half the flour is wholemeal and the sweetener includes mineral-and-vitamin laden molasses. Stick to maple syrup and plant yoghurt and the crackers become vegan.
Once the ingredients are on hand, the actual making of the crackers is easy. There are two stages - start the recipe a day in advance - but there can be a gap of up to 3 days - or longer - before stage 2. The crackers can be frozen after the first stage.
These crackers may not be suitable for children.
Cost: £8-9ish, depending on what's in the cupboard (12/24)
Makes: 50-70 crackers; dough can be frozen
Ingreds:
70gm/2.4oz dried cranberries
100gm/3.5oz finely chopped fresh or dried dates
70gm/2.5oz pecans or walnuts
100gm/3.5oz pumpkin seeds or mixed sunflower & pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup/60ml maple syrup or runny honey
2 tbsp molasses/black treacle
2 cups/500gm buttermilk OR 1.5cups/375gm plant yoghurt mixed with 1/2cup/125gm water or dairy or plant milk
150gm/5.2oz plain flour
150gm/5.2oz wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
50gm/1.75oz soft brown sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp dried cardomom
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180c/350f; grease the inside of a 2 litre loaf pan; arrange a long strip of greaseproof paper along the bottom of the pan, with an overhang at both ends
- If fruit are dried, place in a bowl and add boiling water; leave 5 mins then drain to remove preservatives
- In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients plus orange zest
- In a separate container, whisk together buttermilk, molasses & maple syrup; add to dry ingreds and mix well
- Stir in fruit, nuts & seeds distributing evenly; the batter will be thick
- Scrap into the pan; level the top with a spatula
- Bake 50mins in centre of oven or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
- Cool in tin 30 mins; remove tin; place on cooling rack; cool completely
- Wrap in clingfilm; refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days OR freeze up to a month.
- When ready for stage 2, line two baking trays with greaseproof paper or silicone mats; preheat oven to 150c/300f
- (If defrosting and using the entire loaf, remove from freezer at least a day ahead and leave in the fridge until ready to bake.)
- Take the loaf out of the fridge; using a sharp serrated knife, slice the loaf as thinly as possible.
- Arrange on baking trays - they can be quite close together
- Bake 20 mins first side and a further 20 mins on the other side
- Cool
- 'Best I've ever had. Really crisp & tasty & look really appetising as well.' Political Agent
- 'I really like these. They have a satisfying crunch but are not dry. The combination of dates, nuts and cheese is really nice but I would happily eat the crackers by themselves.' Political campaign manager
- 'These are as good as those very expensive artisanal cheese crackers that only come in packets of 6!' 'Delicious'. 'Very nice.' SSAFA Caseworkers for the military
Tips:
- The biscuits will keep a week in an air-tight container but may need to be re-crisped in a moderate oven 10 mins
- Raisons rinsed in boiling water to remove preservatives can replace cranberries
Notes:The crackers pictured were a leaving gift for Marcus, a retiring caseworker with a military charity.
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| Moranna, Phillip & Marcus stalwart caseworkers for a London branch of SSAFA, the veterans' charity |
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