As you’ve seen, I’ve been baking a lot recently.. There’s something satisfying about rolling up your sleeves, putting on an apron and getting your hands dirty. While baking carrot cake or blueberry muffins is fun, it’s not quite as satisfying as rolling out dough or making meatballs. Sometimes it’s all about getting your hands into it!
Thyme & Parmesan Crackers
So a couple of weeks ago I finally made this recipe I’ve been meaning to try – Ina Garten’s Thyme and Parmesan Crackers. I’ve seen her make it on Food Network before, but when I googled her recipe I found a fellow blogger’s version – The Baker Chick’s Parmesan Rosemary Crackers. The key change that she made was to use cream to bring the dough together. She also used a food processor instead of a mixer like Ina did. Since I don’t have a mixer, I thought I’d use the cream method. It made a huge difference and the crackers turned out great!
In the end I used the Baker Chick’s measurements but used thyme instead of rosemary. The first batch I used a good couple tbsp of thyme and the 1/4 tsp salt in the recipe. My husband (and his co-workers) thought these were great on their own. In the second batch I didn’t have as much thyme left and chose to go less on the salt. They were still nice but not as full of flavor. I think the second batch would probably be better served with a dip or with a cheese platter. And be sure to poke good holes with a fork, otherwise they’ll puff and create an air bubble in the center. Also, to avoid any sticking I rolled out the dough on greaseproof paper which worked out perfectly. And as you can see in the photo below, I lined my baking trays with the paper as well. I also added an additional sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper before baking. Keep an eye on these guys while they bake as they’ll go brown very fast! Check them at 10 minutes and again after 1 minute.
To go with the crackers I wanted a reasonably healthy and easy to make dip. I’ve seen and read lots of recipes for a white bean dip and when I googled it, this was the first to come up – Giada’s White Bean Dip. Normally when I cook from a recipe, I adjust it to my taste but this recipe was perfect! It had loads of flavor and it felt incredibly healthy. The thyme and parmesan crackers go really well with it too. If you don’t want too much garlic flavor you could use roasted garlic instead or maybe garlic powder. Thanks Giada!
White Bean Dip with Thyme Parmesan Crackers
WHITE BEAN DIP
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend. Serve with homemade crackers or heated pita chips!
a VU on Food 