do you like pie?
i am assuming you do, because WHO DOESN’T LIKE PIE?
i like pie.
but…
do you like pie filling? or pie crust?
i am a crust sort of person. gimme my buttery layers and i’ll be satisfied.
when my mom makes chicken pie: i abandon the centre and go for the buttery crust.
when i eat cheesecake: i play TIMBERRR with the slice and flip it on its side so that the crust is facing me.
then i eat it. and melt in buttery biscuity layery glory.
well… i like crackers, too.
i remember my first food post ever. i made sesame crackers.
this is what the photo looked like:
shaaaaaaaame. for shaaaaaaaaaaaaame!
but we all have our first blogging days… right?
anyway.
i remember back then, i chose that recipe because it seemed so… unfattening.
i mean. 1 tablespoon of butter? 6 tablespoons of half-and-half?
it makes them seem like… a health food.
but these. oh, these crackers.
bacon + cheese + butter + cream = absolute love.
here is the recipe:
Parmesan Bacon Crackers
adapted from The New York Timesadapted from Use Real Butter
1 cup flour (4.5 oz)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (2.2 oz)
4 slices bacon, cooked and finely crumbled (omitted)
4 tbsps unsalted butter (2 oz)
1/4 cup cream (plus a little more in case the dough isn’t moist enough) (I added about 1.5 extra tbsp)
cream, for brushing
grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
freshly ground black pepper, for sprinklingOven: 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place flour, salt, cheese, bacon, and butter in food processor. Pulse until everything is just combined. Pour the cream into the food processor and pulse to combine. Add more cream a teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together but isn’t wet and sticky. I don’t have a food processor, so instead I cut the butter into cubes and rubbed them into the flour. Then I mixed in the salt and cheese with a work and pressed it all together with a rubber spatula. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper or plastic wrap) until it is 1/2-inch thick or thinner if you prefer. Peel one sheet of paper or wrap from one side and place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Peel the remaining sheet of paper or wrap. Score the dough with something sharp (knife, pizza cutter, etc.). Sprinkle with salt or whatever tickles your fancy. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Serves 4-8.
so there they were, baking, puffy and golden, and still really soft.
i was worried about why they were so soft.
they stayed soft. i suppose i should have let them crisp up, but i didn’t.
they were too too too good fresh hot out of the oven.
i beg of you, eat them fresh hot out of the oven!
i sincerely think that this could be used as a pie crust recipe. look at that!
OH MY GOSH. EPIPHANY.
has anyone ever made a cheese pie before?
i could actually use this as a cheese crust and put something else in the middle.
…tomato pie? i could have it as a grilled cheese/tomato soup thing.
…veggie pie? this is going in a pizza direction, but i don’t want it to.
…mozzarella pie? that sounds insanely rich, and not in the best way.
…i shall make it a quiche.
but back to the crackers!
i loved the ones who were rolled out thickly. you could really see those edges.
so when you sprinkle the cheese on (i did about 2 tbsps)
some will inevitably end up on the pan and become roasted cheese flakes.
DO NOT WASTE THESE.
just sprinkle them over the crackers.
(notice that i moved the crackers from the kitchen to the dining table…
about 3 or 4 disappeared on the way there. i wonder where.)
and what you can do with that roasted cheesy goodness…
is this.
it actually even separates into layers!
so if you think crackers are too crispy for you,
or you’re a crust person,
or you like scones/biscuits rolled thinly (wow, another epiphany),
make these crackers.
but add the bacon. i was too lazy to.
**
Pie: crust or filling?
Cookies: gooey/soft or crispy?
Brownies: chewy or cakey?
Cake: airy or dense? (Chiffon or mousse?)
and
So, started planning your thanksgiving menu yet? I have. I don’t celebrate thanksgiving. But I want to make a sweet potato buttermilk pie.
These look so good–light and airy. I love the crust the best, too–though not the hard outer edge. I love the buttery tops and bottoms. I don’t like ice cream (I know) so when I was little and someone would get ice cream cake I’d get a huge chunk and eat the crust.
Oh, and brownies: chewy. Cookies: gooey. Cake: airy.
I don’t like ice cream, either.
(I also agree with every single thing you said about the other desserts. Helloooo, long lost twins.)
p.s. I just read your “about the semicolon” page, which I think I missed before, and LOVE IT! I’m a word nerd, too. Though I’m more in love with dashes and (on my blog) parenthesis. :)
Hahahaha yaaaaay I’m a grammar freak! :D
this looks great!
for pie, I like the CRUMB TOPPING!
I once bought an apple pie from a town very famous for apples nearby…
and that night ate most of the topping only…
leaving my partner with the apple inside.
but I do like filling.
filling and topping.
I like soft cookies. crispy cookies make me think cracker and I eat cookies for the gooeyness, not the crunchiness!
brownies.. gooey. chewy. if I wanted cakey I’d eat chocolate cake! ;)
cake… AIRY! I want other things dense (like brownies) but not cake. I actually don’t like cake so much.. hrm.
THANKS FOR THE THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTIONS! really. <3
btw, saw your comment on oh she glows..
here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ (I’ve actually posted it on cynosure in this post a while ago! http://s.rvxn.org/2010/05/24/the-hang-in-there-never-give-up-keep-pressing-on-kit/ :) )
it was the first thing that moved me to tears after years of numbing myself through binging.
I hope you enjoy :]
(the speech was written by mary schmich)
CRAP is that video amazing. I’m listening to it right now and I’m getting ready to go out; wowwowwowwowwow. That seriously is all I can say.
Another video I must share with youuuuu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0
That one really made me cry.
thank you for that.
that was amazing…
I’m going to share it in my next batch of “snippets” with a shout-out to you, if you don’t mind.
♥ ♥ ♥
love you wei-wei :)
Of course I don’t mind. I’m honoured :D
Oh, gosh, I forgot about the CRUMB TOPPING. D: That may or may not be my favourite part, but it’s not always present. I think I like crust AND topping now :D
I’m glad the questions were thought-provoking to you ;)
mmm…cheese…
a pie with cheese crust and tomato filling is to die for.
I like sweet pasteries that are chewy and creamy. I don’t really like pasteries with dry textures, like crispy cookies and chiffon cake.
What kind of cookies and cake do you like? =)
Hhahaha cheese crust and tomato filling – that sounds oddly like… pizza? But I guess they’d be fresh tomatoes. Damn. I’d have to wait until summer. :( I like moist pastries as well! I actually don’t know of anyone who would like DRY pastries. The messier and gooier, the better :D
Any incarnation of pizza makes my mouth water 8)
YES the gooier the better! That’s what’s so depressing about some Chinese bakeries;
the cakes are always dry and cookies hard.
I long for a day when I can get a gooey chocolate muffin at any bakery I come across.
Ayeee!! These LOOK SO GOOD! So flaky! So crisp! You did such a good job. I would totally have burned them.
Ah, they wouldn’t have burned, don’t worry. I left them in there to “crisp up” for SUCH a long time, I’m surprised they didn’t burn!
For cake… dense…. loving the crackers… nom nom nom.
Nom nom nom indeed. And dense cake is the way to go :D
Mmm Makes me hungry, just reading this post.
Thank you, it was my intention.
Wow – well, the photography skills are definitely there, but I’ll tell you, the first post’s picture got me hungry, too! I need to try these – and don’t worry, I never leave the bacon out of anything!
Thank you so much! I take it as a very good sign that I made you hungry ;) PLEASE DO make it with the bacon, and let me know when you do!
Wow, those crackers look awesomely tasty! I bet they would make a really interesting crust for a Chicago style/deep dish pizza!
And…
Pie: filling
Cookies: gooey
Brownies: chewy
Cake: airy
I really want dessert now, for some bizarre reason…
Deep dish pizza – EPIPHANY. I dare you to make it :D (Make sure to put a layer of breadcrumbs at the bottom to help the crust stay crisp, I don’t know why I thought of that thought specifically but heh) It looks like almost everyone has reached the same consensus about baked goods :D
Oh my LORD those crackers look good! But why omit the bacon? I have Hormels pre-cooked bacon crumbles, and those are actually quite good! :)
btw, I don’t like pie. Don’t kill me. Just not a pie person. Esp the fruity ones.
Pie: Neither. I only like the whipped cream on top if there is any.
Cookies: Chewy
Brownies: Chewy
Cake: Neither. Hate cakes too.
I omitted the bacon because I wanted to make these crackers in time for dinner; I was working at the same time as my mom and I wanted to be as minimalist as possible in taking up space in her kitchen, so I forgoed frying up the bacon. Also, we don’t keep bacon slices in our house; we use lardons. I’ll check out pre-cooked though, thanks!
To each their own… but I don’t understand it. Heh. (You don’t like chocolate chips either, I believe…)
Wow! I’m definitely craving some of these right now. I think they’d make a pretty good breakfast!
They’re quite easy to whip up, too – if you have a kitchen scale, then there’s almost no dishes to dirty up! (Well it was easy for me because I didn’t fry bacon…)