Little French Gougères

When I saw my friend, Chris, post these delectable morsels on her blog The Cafe Sucre Farine, I knew I had to try them.  She had been cooking and baking French for a few days in preparation for her week, starting today, at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.  Be sure you flip over to her blog and read all about it, because she will be blogging all week about her journey.

I had all the ingredients on hand for the gougères except for the Gruyere cheese.  After a quick trip to the grocer, these little puffs were ready for afternoon cocktails.  I enjoy making the pâte à choux dough because it is simple and so versatile.  Cut open and stuff with vanilla custard, ice cream or make them more savory stuffed with ham salad or tuna or crab salad.  But a simple, airy puff with delicious cheese in the dough is perfect for a glass of wine or an afternoon martini.

If you don't know, Chris, run over there right now and copy her recipe.  I followed it exactly and I want you to be sure to bookmark it as she spends her week in school, cooking French.

Chris was baking these in preparation for her French cooking class this week.  I was baking them in preparation for our trip to France which starts on Thursday.  À bientôt.  We'll be back after election day.

Cheesy, flaky and absolutely delicious crackers

I am always looking for the perfect addition to an ice cold martini or other beverage for "Happy Hour."  By the way, we have found that this special hour, when the neighbors come out their doors with drinks in hand is getting earlier and earlier.  Perhaps because the dark sets in so much earlier.  Perhaps because we are all retired and don't care about putting up appearances any more.

I think I have found it.  I stumbled across "In the Kitchen with Kath" and found this very simple, very easy and very tasty cracker recipe.  These cheesy crackers, (which, by the way) smell outstandingly delicious as they bake, are flaky and can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days..but, I really doubt they will last that long.

They do require a food processor and then this cracker can be started and to the enjoying with a drink part in less than one hour.  If you want to eat them warm, even less than that.  I would suggest that you use a food processor though.  I would think it would get a little discouraging trying to make this dough without one.

Cheese Crackers
 from In the Kitchen with Kath

Depending on the size you cut them, you can get 75 to 100 crackers

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) grated, extra sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
3/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling out
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put everything except the milk in a food processor.  Pulse the processor 5 seconds at a time, for about 5-6 times, until the dough is in coarse crumbs.

Add the milk and process until the dough gathers together in a ball.

Roll the dough out on a floured board with a rolling pin that has been floured, until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick.

Cut the dough into 1 inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.  You can put a bit of flour on the blade of the knife to keep it from sticking.  Use the flat end of a wooden skewer, I used the rounded tip of a chopstick, to poke a hole in the center of each cracker.

Place the crackers at least 1/4 inch apart on parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.

Put the baking sheet on a rack and let the crackers cool completely.  Eat or store in a covered container to eat within a day or two.  ENJOY!!