Recipes

"We’ve been selling these crackers since day one on our market stall on Portobello Road. Not only do they taste great, but they look fabulous too. I always have some at home and they’re best enjoyed with a glass of white wine or Champagne".



Makes about 40

    220 g plain flour
    80 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
    1 teaspoon salt  
    1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder (or an extra 1⁄2 teaspoon salt )
    a very small pinch of ground cayenne pepper
    80 g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
    50 ml water
    To coat the crackers
    3 tablespoons sesame seeds
    3 tablespoons poppyseeds
    1 egg, beaten
    1–2 baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper

Method

Put the flour, cheese, salt, bouillon powder, pepper and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the water and pulse until the mixture comes together into a dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log about 4 cm in diameter, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it. To coat the crackers, sprinkle the sesame seeds and poppyseeds over a clean tray. Brush the log with the egg and roll in the mixed seeds until evenly coated. Wrap the log in clingfilm again and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150C (300F) Gas 2.

Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it. Cut into discs about 4 mm thick. Arrange the discs on the prepared baking tray(s), spacing them slightly apart as they may spread when they are baking.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until pale gold. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Taken from Popina Book of Baking by Isidora  Popovic (Ryland Peters & Small), with a foreword by our very own Henrietta Green. Photography by Peter Cassidy, copyright of Ryland Peters & Small.