Totally Crackers

Sun Herald

Sunday November 25, 2007

By Karen Martini

Cheese and biscuits are the food world's great entertainers - especially when the lavoche, oat crackers, and fennel-seed biscuits are homemade.

1. Lavoche-style rye biscuits with fresh goat's curd and tomato preserve

The sour crunch of these rye biscuits goes perfectly with the sharp flavour of the goat's curd and the sweetness of the tomato preserve.

14g dried yeast

250ml warm milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

200g rye flour, sifted

120g plain flour, sifted

1 tsp salt flakes

fresh goat's curd, to serve

Tomato preserve

600g large cherry tomatoes, blanched and skinned

3 eschalots, finely sliced

500g caster sugar

3 tbsp water

1/2 cup currants

50g blanched almonds

2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 strip lemon zest

2 cloves garlic

1 cinnamon stick

MAKES 50-60 BISCUITS

For preserve, combine tomatoes and eschalots in a bowl and sprinkle with half the caster sugar. Cover and set aside overnight.

Drain tomatoes and place in a saucepan with the water. Add remaining caster sugar, bring to the boil over medium heat and boil over high heat for 3-4 minutes, skimming froth from the surface. Add remaining ingredients, return to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside for 1 hour. If tomatoes are very juicy, strain the mixture, discarding cinnamon stick, and spoon tomatoes into sterilised jars. Boil remaining juices for 5 minutes, then pour over tomatoes. Cool and seal (makes about 3 cups).

Preheat oven to fan-forced 160C (180C conventional). For biscuits, combine yeast and milk in a bowl and stir well. Set aside for 5 minutes. Place golden syrup, combined flours, yeast mixture and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using a dough hook, mix for 5 minutes until wet and sticky. Remove, cover with plastic wrap and rest in a warm place for 2 hours until well risen.

Place dough on a well-floured workbench and roll into a rectangle. Roll through the widest setting on a pasta machine and continue until dough is 0.25cm thick (to setting No.1). Cut 10 x 0.5 centimetre strips of dough for "skewers". Cut dough into 4cm squares, using kitchen scissors to make a hole in each for threading. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper, cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Brush with a little water and bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked. Allow biscuits to cool. Thread onto skewers and serve with goat's curd and tomato preserve.

2. Oat crackers with dried muscatel grapes and gorgonzola piccante

These slightly sweet biscuits are deliciously buttery. They work perfectly with the sharp flavours of gorgonzola or your favorite blue cheese.

60g rolled oats

340g plain flour

60g raw sugar

1 tsp salt flakes

2 tsp baking powder

150g unsalted butter, softened

150ml-170ml milk

2 branches dried muscatel grapes

1/2 cup port or Madeira

? cup caster sugar

200g gorgonzola piccante, at room temperature

Makes 16 biscuits

Preheat oven to fan-forced 160C (180C conventional).

For crackers, combine oats, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor and whiz for 5 seconds. Add butter and process until mixture forms

a crumb consistency. Add milk and process to a soft dough. Remove and wrap

in plastic wrap and rest for 20 minutes.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to just over 5mm thick. Use an

8cm round cutter to cut crackers and place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with a little salt and bake for 20-25 minutes until pale golden and cooked. Cool.

Combine grapes, port and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring

to the boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and cool.

Serve crackers with muscatel grapes and cheese.

3. Cracked pepper and fennel-seed biscuits with parmigiano-reggiano and pears

These crackers have become a popular part of the cheese platter at my restaurant Melbourne Wine Room

250g plain flour

1? tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt flakes

3 tbsp lard, duck fat or butter, diced

1-3 tbsp water

1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns

1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds

parmigiano-reggiano, to serve

sliced pears, to serve

MAKES 25-30 BISCUITS

Preheat oven to fan-forced 200C (220C conventional).

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and use your fingers

to rub in fat until mixture is breadcrumb consistency. Add enough water to form

a firm dough. (You may not need all the water.) Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick. Using a 4cm cutter, cut out biscuits and place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Brush biscuits with a little water and sprinkle with combined peppercorns and fennel seeds.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the base. Cool.

Serve with parmigiano-reggiano and pears.

Food for thought

To make a light lunch, toss lamb cutlets with the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tbsp dried oregano, olive oil and salt and pepper, then grill until cooked to your liking. Place cutlets on an endive and rocket salad and serve with goat's cheese, tomato preserve and rye lavoche on the side.

With a glass of...

1 SAUVIGNON BLANC

Lavoche-style rye biscuits with fresh goat's curd and tomato preserve

2 MUSCAT TOKAY

Oat crackers with dried muscatel grapes and gorgonzola piccante

3 CHAMPAGNE

Cracked pepper and fennel seed biscuits with parmigiano-reggiano and pears

© 2007 Sun Herald

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