Parmesan Cheese Shortbread Crackers

Last Saturday,  over Columbus Day holiday weekend, Bill and I met longtime friends, Alan and Pam,  at Sunset Meadow Vineyard,  located in Goshen, Connecticut.    We met there at 3 o’clock in the afternoon to enjoy a bottle (or two) of the splendid wine  they produce.  If you are in the area and/or looking for a relaxing afternoon adventure…by all means,  visit this vineyard.  You won’t be disappointed.  I know winter hours will be in place soon and they are closed two days during the week.  Check their site online before you go.  They have a Facebook page as well.

Now, part of the beauty of this whole adventure is, folks are welcome to bring a picnic basket or two of palate pleasing  goodies to enjoy with SMV’s wine; while siting in comfortable chairs at tables provided inside and out.  Since last Saturday was a splendid example of a New England fall day, we sat outside.  Surrounded by the vineyard, the view is glorious.   The gifts of nature are hard to beat.

We arrived just at three and were guided by a parking attendant to a parking spot in the field adjacent to the vineyard.  It was a short walk up to the entrance, where a lot of visitors were well into picnic basket fare and wine tasting.   Most of the outside tables were occupied but our timing was just right and we claimed one just after it was vacated.  We secured another needed chair and covered the table with our smorgasbord. Then, we got ourselves a bottle of wine.  My SMV favorite is Twisted Red,  a dryer red…the kind I prefer.   Our friend Alan likes SMV’s  Root 63…another red, rich in fruit and sweeter.  Pam enjoys their wine slushy.  On a hot summer day those are delightfully refreshing.

Our table was set with all the accouterments needed for minimal work with maximum enjoyment.  Baked Brie,  chunks of Swiss cheese, fresh fruit, homemade bread with freshly roasted garlic and a pear balsamic jelly,  marinated artichoke hearts and melt in your mouth Parmesan cheese shortbread crackers.

And, there we lounged quite lazily, sharing fine wine with great friends, seated contentedly around a table spread with delectable edibles, on a warm,  slightly breezy New England fall day; surrounded by grape vines still laden with grapes.  It was a fine way to spend a sunshine infused Saturday afternoon.

I have tried several recipes for this kind of cracker.   All of which were good but I felt they could be better.   Finally, after much tweaking and experimenting on my own,   I can call my recipe a keeper.  If the reactions of the two couples at the table next to us was any indication of how savory and delicious they are then I know I experimented just right.

Thank you to you friendly folks from Norwalk and Trumbull for being taste testers and  picture takers !

 

Parmesan Cheese Shortbread Crackers

These crackers are easy to mix together.  The dough requires an hour minimum in the refrigerator for chilling.  Do not skip this step.  When I know I will be pressed for time I make the dough ahead and waiting one or two days in the refrigerator makes no difference to the dough!

This recipe makes roughly 3 dozen good sized crackers.  I cut them with fluted cookie cutters for a bit of festive variety.  Using butter in the recipe makes these crackers melt in you mouth.

To a large mixing bowl add:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of room temperature butter (1 stick)

2 TB or more of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan… and a bit extra saved off to one side to dust the dough before cutting into shapes

2 TB finely grated Asiago

1/2 teas dried thyme leaves

1/2 teas  freshly ground Himalayan pink salt

1/4 teas freshly ground green pepper

a dash or two of garlic salt if desired

a dash or two paprika or cayenne pepper to your liking

Mix all the ingredients together well until they form a ball of dough, drizzling more olive or avocado oil as needed.  Once the ingredients have come together, form the dough into a 6″ X 2″ round.  No need for precision here, you just want it relatively flat so you can wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take  the dough out of the refrigerator and, on a flour dusted surface, roll it to 1/4 ” thickness.  Sprinkle the rolled dough with a bit more Parmesan cheese if desired.  This browns nicely on the crackers while they bake.   Using cookie cutters or a knife, cut the dough into your desired shapes and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  The crackers do not spread when baking, so you can place them fairly close together on your baking sheet.  Continue re- rolling and cutting the dough until you have used it all.

Bake the crackers in a 350 degree oven for roughly 20 to 25 minutes until light brown.  Make sure they do not get too brown on the bottom.

These crackers will be very fragile when they come out of the oven.  Let them rest on the baking sheet for at least 2 minutes before you remove them to a cooling rack.    Cool them completely before storing.  If you are storing them, stack them.  This will help prevent breaking.

I have not tried freezing them, so I honestly cannot say how well they freeze. They don’t last long enough for me to find out !!!

I do know, with a glass of your favorite white or red, they go down deliciously and melt in your mouth in the most wondrous way.

Whether outside picnic style, or inside in front of a fireplace glowing with warmth,  do enjoy these crackers.  Soon, here in the northern hemisphere, the daylight hours will be compromised by the early dark  of the winter months.  If you bake these crackers just right, they have the potential to deliver a bit of delicious, edible sunshine.

 

Many Blessings…