Almond, Olive, and Rosemary Crackers with Roasted Butternut Squash, Chile, and Tahini Dip

Do you believe that true beauty comes from within? That idea is taken very literally in a new cookbook that offers nutrient dense dishes that help balance gut health and thereby assist with keeping your complexion at its best. The Beauty Chef: Delicious Food for Radiant Skin, Gut Health and Wellbeing by Carla Oates, of which I received a review copy, is a guide to eating for a medicinal effect. Oates writes: “the food we eat provides the ecosystem that interacts with our immune system to maintain our health and skin and overall wellbeing.” Whether you choose to eat certain foods specifically for their positive effect on skin conditions or you just want to try these recipes packed with nutrition powerhouses, there are a lot of great options here. First, there’s a list of nutrients with an explanation of why each one is good for you along with the foods in which it’s found. Then, throughout the recipes, the head note information will have some reminders about those nutrients and which ones are in the dish. The chapters cover Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner, Sides, Desserts, Baking, Drinks, and Basics. I became hooked quickly after seeing the variety grains and fresh vegetables used, the abundance of fermented pickles, and the use of less-refined sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. There’s an Autumn Spice Smoothie Bowl made with oats, banana, and almond butter and topped with poached pears that I can’t wait to have for breakfast. And, I marked almost every page in the Lunch chapter with dishes like Warm Cauliflower Couscous Salad with Roasted Roots, Hazelnuts, and Crispy Spiced Chickpeas; Raw Rainbow Salad with Soft-boiled Egg and Creamy Miso Dressing; Buckwheat Noodles with Miso-Roasted Pumpkin, Caramelized Onion, and Umeboshi Plum Salad; and Lunch Wraps with Poached Chicken and Celeriac and Roasted Almond Remoulade on homemade Millet and Linseed and Spinach Wraps. If that all sounds a little too virtuous, bear in mind there are also recipes for oven-fried chicken, bbq ribs, and creme brulee. But since I’ve been going meatless and dairyless a little more often lately, I decided to start with a snack of Almond, Olive, and Rosemary Crackers with Roasted Butternut Squash, Chile, and Tahini Dip.

In the book, the crackers have “Cheesy” in the title, but I don’t think that’s even necessary as a selling point. The cheesy flavor here comes from nutritional yeast. These are gluten-free crackers made with almond meal mixed with the yeast flakes, chopped Kalamata olives, fresh rosemary, and salt and pepper. An egg white and some coconut oil hold the dough together. The dough was rolled out between pieces of parchment paper. Then, it was scored and left on the bottom piece of parchment for baking. There’s a nice tip for baking the crackers: as the outside crackers become browned, they can be cut along the scored lines and removed. Then, the pan can go back into the oven to brown the rest of the crackers. The dip was a simple puree of roasted butternut squash, a roasted tomato, and roasted garlic and chile. Tahini and lemon juice were added to the food processor while pureeing.

The crackers have great, savory flavor with the olives and rosemary and the underlying umami from the yeast flakes. If they lose their crispness after sitting for a bit, they can be popped into a warm oven to bring back their crunchy state. The butternut squash dip paired well with them. And, sliced cucumbers made good vehicles for it as well. There are several more things I’m eager to try from this book and it will be a nice bonus if I happen to achieve a healthy glow in the process.

‘Cheesy’ almond, olive and rosemary crackers
Recipes reprinted with publisher's permission from The Beauty Chef: Delicious Food for Radiant Skin, Gut Health and Wellbeing.

MAKES 24

The combination of olive, rosemary and cheese is a delight. However, in this dish I have used yeast flakes instead of cheese, which are rich in B vitamins and a great substitute for the flavour of cheese.

1 cup (100 g / 3 1/2 oz) almond meal

1/3 cup (15 g / 1/2 oz) savoury yeast flakes (available from health food stores)

1/4 cup (45 g / 1 1/2 oz) chopped pitted Kalamata olives

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt, plus extra for sprinkling

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Combine the almond meal, savoury yeast flakes, olives, rosemary, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the egg white and oil and mix well to combine.

Roll the almond mixture out between two pieces of baking paper, to make a 24 cm (9 1/2 in) square, approximately 2 mm (1⁄16 in) thick. Discard the top sheet of paper. Using a large knife, score the almond mixture to make 24 crackers. Press the ends of a fork into the centre of each cracker to mark. Transfer the crackers on the sheet of baking paper onto a large baking tray (cookie sheet). Sprinkle with additional salt. Bake for 10–15 minutes, until light golden.

Remove from the oven and cut through the scored marks. Separate into individual crackers. Remove the outer crackers that are crisp and golden and set onto a rack to cool. Cook the remaining crackers for a further 5 minutes, or until golden but not browned. Transfer onto the rack and leave to cool completely. Serve with dips, spreads, or as part of a meal.

Roasted pumpkin, chilli and tahini dip

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS (SERVES 4)

A flavour-packed dip, starring pumpkin (winter squash), which is a great source of skin-rejuvenating vitamin A. And did you know that when you consume foods high in vitamin E – such as tahini (made from sesame seeds) – around seven days later vitamin E is secreted through your sebum to provide a protective layer?

350 g (12 1/2 oz) peeled pumpkin (winter squash), cut into 5 cm (2 in) chunks

1 medium tomato, halved

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

4 cloves garlic, in their skins

2 long red chiles

2 tablespoons tahini

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Himalayan salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF).

Place the pumpkin and tomato on a baking tray (baking sheet). Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes.

Turn the pumpkin, add the garlic and chile and roast for a further 15 minutes, or until the garlic and chile are soft and the pumpkin is tender and caramelised. Set aside to cool slightly.

Squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Peel the tomato and chillies. Scrape the seeds out of the chiles and discard.

Place the pumpkin, tomato, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and chile in a high-speed food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Season with salt. Serve with crudites, crackers or as part of a meal.

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Smoked Trout Spread with Homemade Crackers

I couldn’t agree more with the message Maria Rodale puts forth in her new cookbook, Scratch: Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun, and Totally Delicious, of which I received a review copy. In the Introduction, she writes “I believe that a home-cooked meal made from scratch – preferably with organic ingredients (and maybe even homegrown) – is one of the greatest pleasures in life.” She goes on with “Cooking from scratch isn’t about impressing friends and neighbors (although you probably will); it’s about nourishing our families and ourselves. And the truth is, when it comes to making delicious and easy food from scratch, it truly is freaking easy!” She happens to be the granddaughter of the founder of the organic movement in the US and grew up on the first official organic farm in the country, but she’s also very open-minded and practical about what will and won’t work for everyone. There’s nothing preachy or judgmental about her advice and suggestions. Her hope is to inspire readers to make the most nourishing food they can with the freshest, healthiest ingredients they can get. The recipes are simple enough for beginner cooks tackle for the first time or for practiced cooks to make part of a routine. There are several salads to choose from, and one that got my attention was the American-style Antipasto Salad with red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, pickled cauliflower and more. The Noodle Love chapter includes a couple of options for mac-and-cheese along with other sauces for pasta and even instructions for making fresh pasta if you want. Lots of variety is found in the recipes for main dishes. I’m interested in the Red Beans and Rice since this version is a little different than what I’ve seen before. Smoked turkey wings are used to make a broth, and the meat is taken from the bones and added to the beans later, and the rice is cooked with coconut milk. Some other great-looking dishes include Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls, Chicken Cacciatore, and Crispy-skin Salmon with Herb Dressing. There are also side dishes and sweets in the book, but I got side-tracked by the Snack Time chapter. 

I love making homemade crackers and have made a few different types over the years. The promise of this recipe being the quickest and easiest convinced me I had to try it. It is a simple mix of whole wheat pastry flour, water, and olive oil. I found I needed to add some extra flour to get the dough to a consistency for easy rolling. And, in usual fashion, I made the recipe more complicated than it needed to be. In the book, the dough is placed on a baking sheet and simply rolled or pressed out to the corners. Then, the dough is cut into squares or whatever shape, sprinkled with salt or whatever desired toppings and baked. Instead, I rolled the dough on a floured surface, cut even shapes with a fluted pastry cutter, transferred the cut pieces to a baking sheet, and sprinkled with salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. I actually enjoy pulling out my kitchen ruler and measuring dough to cut it. The purpose of making homemade crackers was to use them as delivery mechanisms for Smoked Trout Spread. Before making this, I was telling a few friends about my cooking plans for the weekend. I’m so glad I mentioned it because my friend told me about Ducktrap River smoked trout from Maine. I wasn’t familiar with it, but it’s sold at our Whole Foods Market, and it’s incredibly delicious. I’ll be thinking of all sorts of ways to use it now. The spread is made with softened cream cheese, lemon juice, minced onion, chopped herbs, and flaked smoked trout and I added some lemon zest as well. I combined everything except the trout and mixed until smooth and then stirred in the flaked trout. 

If you’re looking for snack ideas for a big football game in the near future, may I suggest Smoked Trout Spread with Homemade Crackers? The smoky flavor with the lemon and onion make this a savory delight, and crunchy homemade crackers that you can customize to your liking are perfect with it. And, if you’re in need of some simple recipes to make for your family or friends, this book would be a great place to look. 

Smoked Trout Spread
Recipe reprinted with publisher's permission from Scratch: Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun, and Totally Delicious.

I’ve always wanted to make a trout spread and finally came up with this recipe, which is so simple and easy. My youngest sniffed it suspiciously the first time before trying it. After tasting it, she closed her eyes and smiled. “That’s good,” she said. Mission accomplished. 

Serves 4 

8 ounces smoked trout, skin removed 
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
Finely chopped chives or parsley, for garnish 
Toasted bread or Homemade Crackers, for serving 

1. Flake or chop the trout into little pieces and place in a bowl. 

2. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, onion, and salt and pepper to taste and mix until combined. (I find using my hands works best as it helps soften the cheese.) 

3. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the herbs, and serve with bread or crackers. 

Homemade Crackers 
It started with a picture I saw in the local paper about making crackers from scratch. I saved it, but then never found it again. So I decided to experiment. A quick search online and I was disturbed by the complexity of the recipes I found. I wanted the quickest, easiest, no-fuss option, so I pulled the essence out of the recipes I saw and came up with these simple crackers. My kids now ask for them constantly; a batch never lasts more than 24 hours. 

Serves 6 to 8 

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 
2/3 cup warm water 
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the pan 
Salt 
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or other toppings

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 17 3 11-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. 

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, water, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir until combined and a dough forms. Place the dough in the center of the prepared baking sheet and roll out roughly with a rolling pin or use your hands, and press it into the corners. No need to be fussy here, rustic is great! 

3. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut even squares, rectangles, or whatever shape takes your fancy. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Set aside to cool (the crackers will harden as they cool). Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

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Caesar’s Sables and Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon

If I plan to serve dip at a party, it’s always homemade. And, when I start thinking about what kind of dip to make, my next thought is that I really should make the crackers too. I have a recipe or two here and there for flatbreads that work with dips, but I didn’t have a good reference for a variety of crackers until now. Crackers and Dips by Ivy Manning, of which I received a review copy, will solve all my future party snack dilemmas. With each cracker recipe, there’s a suggested dip or two to go with it. Corn Bread Crisps with Tangy Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Dip sounds like a great match, and so does Black Pepper Taralli and Trieste-Style Crab Gratin. There are crackers with simpler flavors like Soda Water Crackers that work well as shy vehicles for toppings and some like Brown Butter-Hazelnut Crackers that draw more attention to themselves. There are even dessert crackers like Rosemary Graham Crackers and Animal Crackers with Zesty Lemon Frosting, and I ordered some little animal-shaped cutters just so I could try these. The first recipe I wanted to taste from the book was Caesar’s Sables which capture all the big flavors of a Caesar salad in a neat, little cracker. Serving suggestions for them included using them as croutons on a Caesar salad or as an accompaniment to Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon. They were great both ways. 

The dough for the crackers is just like that for refrigerator cookies. In fact, you can keep the dough wrapped and refrigerated and just slice and bake some crackers as you need them rather than making them all at once. Flour, grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, finely chopped garlic, and salt were pulsed in a food processor. Anchovy paste is an optional ingredient, and I added it because I love the extra hit of umami from anchovies. So, the anchovy paste was added with some water, and the mixture was pulsed until the dough came together. The dough was divided in half, and each was kneaded and rolled into a long cylinder. The dough cylinders were wrapped in plastic and chilled for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, I made the tapenade which was started by sauteing finely chopped shallot and garlic, and fresh thyme. Then, chopped pitted Castelvetrano green olives, pitted Kalamata black olives, and finely chopped preserved lemon were added and warmed. The tapenade can be stored in the refrigerator and re-warmed before serving. The cracker dough cylinders were sliced into thin circles, the circles were topped with freshly ground black pepper, and then baked for about 15 minutes until browned and crunchy. 

These peppery, parmesany, and slightly lemony crackers with the tapenade were great with drinks for a pre-dinner snack. And, I love that I don’t have to fret about what I could possibly make to go with dip ever again. I just have to decide which combo to try next. 

Caesar’s Sables  
Recipes reprinted with publisher’s permission from Crackers and Dips.

Everyone loves Caesar salad. So what if you could fit all the savory, salty flavor of that brilliant salad into a little crumbly cracker? Caesar lovers everywhere, rejoice: here is your cracker! These rich crackers are similar to the French pastry/cookies called sables [sah-BLAY], which means “sandy,” and as the name advertises, these crackers have a sandy, crumbly texture and they’re very rich, thanks to an ample dose of lemon olive oil. The dough can be made up to three days in advance, so they’re perfect for entertaining; just slice and bake when needed. Try them with a dab of Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon, eat them by the handful, or use them as a garnish for Caesar salads as a sort of overgrown crouton. Whatever the application, they’re tres delicieux. 

MAKES 50 TO 60 CRACKERS 

2 cups/255 g unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 cup/115 g grated Parmesan cheese (firmly packed) 
1/2 cup/120 ml lemon-infused olive oil, or extra-virgin olive oil 
1 tbsp finely grated organic lemon zest 
1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
1 tsp fine sea salt 
1 tbsp chopped anchovies (about 6 small fillets) or 1 tbsp anchovy paste (optional) 
1/4 cup/60 ml water 
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

In a food processor or large bowl, pulse or mix the flour, cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, and salt until well combined and crumbly. Add the anchovies (if using) and water. Pulse or stir until the mixture becomes crumbly and begins to stick together, 15 pulses (do not overmix), stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. 

Turn half of the dough out onto a 16-in-/40.5-cm-long piece of plastic wrap and squeeze and gently knead the dough to form it into an 8- to 9-in-/20- to 23-cm-long log that is about 1 1/4in/3.5 cm in diameter. Roll up the log in the plastic wrap and roll on the work surface under your palms to make a uniform cylinder. Repeat with the other half of the dough and another piece of plastic wrap. Chill the logs in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Unwrap the logs and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to cut the logs crosswise into 1/8-in-/3-mmthick slices using a gentle sawing motion. If any crumbly bits break off while slicing, press them into the cracker and shape with your fingers into a round. Arrange the slices 1 in/2.5 cm apart on the baking sheets and sprinkle them with the pepper. If any of the crackers were sliced too thickly, use your fingers to press them out until they are of the same thickness as the others. 

Bake until the crackers are golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Rotate the pans once from top to bottom and from back to front while baking. Transfer the crackers to a cooling rack. Once cool, store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. 


Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon 

Cold olives leave me cold. You can marinate them, stuff them, or purée them into a tapenade, but if they’re cool, I’m bored to tears. Warm olives are another matter. Applying just a little heat to olives transforms them into a fruity, sensuous pleasure. For this warm olive tapenade, I use a mix of meaty, bright green Castelvetrano olives (find them at olive bars or in jars at better markets) and brinier kalamata olives to achieve a balance of sweet, salty, fruity, and bitter flavors. This warm dip goes splendidly with the Caesar’s Sables, the Smoked Almond Thins, and the buttery Macadamia Nut and Coconut Flour Club Crackers. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, so it’s a great homemade holiday gift; consider making a double batch so you can share the warm olive love. 

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS/360 ML 

1 cup/160 g pitted Castelvetrano green olives 
1/2 cup/80 g pitted kalamata black olives 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
1 shallot, finely chopped 
1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme 
1 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon 

In a food processor, pulse all the olives until they form a chunky paste the consistency of granola, or mound them on a cutting board and chop with a sharp chef’s knife. 

In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and thyme and saute until the shallot is tender and the garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 minute. Add the chopped olives and preserved lemon and cook, stirring frequently, until the olives are hot to the touch, 3 minutes. Transfer the tapenade to a serving bowl and serve immediately. (Once cool, the tapenade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Rewarm in a small saucepan or in the microwave before serving.) 

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Rustic Rosemary-Parmesan Crackers

I have two new books from Sur la Table to tell you about today. Both were just released in late September, and I received review copies. Simple Comforts, is a cute, little book about seven inches square. It's full of classic dishes that everyone craves, but the recipes have been updated for a more contemporary feel through the addition of fresh herbs and oils and vinegars that have become easy to find these days. Favorite comfort foods like cinnamon rolls, old-fashioned dinner rolls, chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, classic extra-cheesy macaroni and cheese, and strawberry shortcakes are all here. But, you'll also find banana chocolate chip bread with chocolate icing, pizza margherita, kabocha squash soup with toasted cumin and chiles, chard mushroom and swiss cheese frittata, and an ice cream sundae with roasted strawberries with a brown sugar-balsamic drizzle. It's a great go-to reference for meals that are sure to please and would be a perfect book for a beginner cook.

The second book, Gifts Cooks Love, offers just what the title suggests. It presents homemade goodies that make great gifts and ideas for packaging them as well. There are preserved gifts like aleppo pepper-peach chutney, apricot-bourbon mustard, and cotes du rhone-rhubarb compote. The smoked and cured options include homemade bacon, salmon gravlax, and a smoky ketchup. Of course there are baked goods like double fudge brownie pops, panforte, and a very cool-looking biscotti Christmas tree. For the tree, the biscotti are cut to different lengths and then stacked bottom to top, from large to small, to form a three-dimensional tree shape. It looks so great in the photo in the book, I have to try it. You'll also find confections, homemade liqueurs, spice blends, and gift kit ideas. I jumped in and tested the homemade rosemary-parmesan crackers, and these are mentioned in one of the kit suggestions that would also include green tomato chutney, aleppo pepper-peach chutney, panforte, and chipotle chile candied pecans.

The crackers were made in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and flour, chopped fresh rosemary, salt, and sugar were combined. Water was poured over that mixture, and it was kneaded with the mixer. The dough was set aside, wrapped in plastic, to allow the gluten to relax. Then, working with half the dough at a time, it was rolled out and cut into long, thin crackers. They were placed on olive oil-coated baking sheets, the tops were brushed with more olive oil, and they were sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. They came out of the oven golden and puffed in spots. They bake pretty quickly, in just about ten minutes, but you do need to watch them and remove the crackers on the ends of the baking sheet that brown before the ones in the center. These were crunchy, addictive snacks, and they'd make a gift I'd be happy to give and even happier to receive.

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Manchego Cheese Crackers with Marcona Almonds

My blue theme for snacks on Oscar night only went so far. I made a blueberry crumble tart that I really enjoyed, and I tried a blue cheese and apple hors d’oeuvre that I ended up not loving. The third item I made completely abandoned that theme but was delicious. These manchego cheese crackers with marcona almonds are from The New Spanish Table. I just finished the book after reading it off and on since November when I tried a few tapas from it. There’s a lot of information in there. Anya von Bremzen covers regional preferences, historical facts, and modern takes on Spanish cuisine. There are many interesting side notes with explanations about ingredients and origins of dishes. Some of the recipes are very traditional, some are chefs’ contemporary twists on classics, some are more involved than others, and a few, like these cheese crackers, are simple ideas that she learned from friends. This recipe was given to her by Melissa Clark, and the intro note about how hard the crackers are to resist is definitely true.

To make the dough, softened butter and grated manchego cheese were creamed together in the bowl of a mixer. Flour and salt were added, and the dough was supposed to form itself after a bit more mixing. Mine remained very crumbly and wasn’t sticking together at all, so I dribbled in just a tablespoon or so of milk and let the mixer turn a few more times until it seemed like dough. It was then formed into a log, and I flattened that into more of a long, square-ish shape which was wrapped in plastic and left to rest in the refrigerator for an hour. One quarter inch thick pieces were cut from the dough, and each was brushed with egg wash and topped with a marcona almond before being baked for 15 minutes.

The crackers were crunchy on the edges and a little tender in the middle and full of great manchego flavor. Marcona almonds are pretty addictive all by themselves, and they made the crackers even better than they already were. This was a very basic cracker with just butter, cheese, and almonds for flavor, and I’m not complaining about that at all, but I was thinking about how it might be fun to add a little smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne next time.





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