Showing posts with label dip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dip. Show all posts

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Lavash Crackers with Roasted Red Pepper Dip


This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen by Natalie of Gluten A Go Go and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl: Lavash Crackers. Lavash is an Armenian-style cracker similar to other middle eastern and northern African flatbreads such as mankoush, pita, and kesret. The primary difference among these flatbreads is either how thick or thin they are rolled out or the type of oven in which they are baked.

I recently made some homemade crackers to serve with my baked brie, so I already knew how simple and delicious homemade crackers can be. Unfortunately, somehow the month go away from me and I thought the posting date for this month's challenge was a little closer to the end of the month. Imagine my surprise, then, when I went to check to see what the post date was a few days ago, only to find out I had two days left! Luckily, this challenge was not too labor intensive, so I was able to complete it in one day. I started these after lunch today, and here I am, posting them now :)


This month's challenge was different from most because for the first time, we were required to make something vegan. We also had the option of making these both vegan and gluten free, but seeing as no one in this household has gluten allergies, mine are not gluten free. We also had to make a vegan dip, spread, relish, or salsa to serve with these, but otherwise we had complete freedom to make whatever we desired.


You can top these crackers with numerous different seasonings and spices, including poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt. I decided to make half with salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and sesame seeds


and the other half with Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread and Seasoning.


I originally wanted to serve these with some of my favorite homemade guacamole, but they didn't have any ripe avocados at the store this morning so I decided to make a roasted red pepper dip instead. Most of the roasted red pepper dips I came across online were not vegan, but I was able to find a vegan recipe on Delish.


This dip was so simple to make. The longest step was roasting the garlic, but you can use fresh minced garlic instead if you'd prefer. I simply placed the garlic cloves on some foil, drizzled them with olive oil, wrapped them up tightly in the foil and placed them in the oven with the crackers while they were baking. After the crackers were done, so was my roasted garlic! If you don't count the time it takes to roast the garlic, this dip only takes five minutes to prepare! This roasted red pepper dip was light and delicious. Next time I might add some chopped fresh basil as well for a little more flavor.


The crackers were very simple to make. I made them two different thicknesses. One batch I made paper thin and they came out super crispy and light. The second batch I made a bit thicker, and they came out more like pita chips. It really just depends on what you prefer. I really like the ones that were seasoned with the garlic seasoning; the other ones were a little bland, but maybe that was my fault for not adding enough (I seasoned very lightly since the recipe warns that a little bit goes a long way).


Thanks to Natalie and Shel for hosting this month's challenge. I really enjoyed trying another recipe for homemade crackers. Make sure you visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see hundreds of other variations on these!




Lavash Crackers
from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

The key to a crisp lavash is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (click here for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit (I used my dough hook on the KitchenAid Mixer and kneaded it on Speed 2 for at least 30 minutes - it never became a beautiful, thin, windowpane, but it did stretch a little more). The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
adapted from Delish

12 ounces canned fire roasted red peppers (alternatively, you can roast your own*)
3 cloves of garlic, roasted**
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Splash of red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in food processor/mini prep/blender until combined.

Yield: Approximately 1/2 cup

*How to Roast a Red Pepper:

If you have a gas stove, you can place the peppers over the open flame until the skin becomes blackened. Once the skins are brownish-black, remove from the oven and immediately place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 20 minutes or so (or until the peppers have time to cool and “sweat”). Once they have cooled you will be able to peel the skins right off.

Otherwise, you can use the oven method. Cut the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and innards. Place them on a baking sheet skin side up. Place the sheet in a 450-500 degree oven set on broil. The skin will start to blacken and soften in 7-10 minutes. Once the skins are brownish-black, remove from the oven and immediately place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 20 minutes or so (or until the peppers have time to cool and “sweat”). Once they have cooled you will be able to peel the skins right off.

** How to Roast Garlic:

Place the garlic cloves on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic and then wrap it up in the foil. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. You can also use finely minced garlic in this recipe to save time if you don't want to roast the garlic.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Guacamole


Most people either love or hate avocados, there does not seem to be any in between. I love them and my husband hates them -- but that just means there's always more for me :) While avocados contain more fat than your typical fruit, they're not as bad as some people make them out to be. They are high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help to lower your cholesterol, and half of an avocado is equal to one serving of fruit (you should be eating 4-5 servings of fruit each day).

My husband thinks I'm weird, not only because I love avocados, but also because of how I like to eat them. When I was a kid, my mom would cut them half, pull the seed out, and put a heaping spoonful of brown sugar in the middle for me. I enjoyed the brown sugar more than anything else at the time, but as I got older, I began to also appreciate the richness and creaminess of the avocado complemented with the sweetness of the brown sugar. I don't know if this is just something my mom and her family grew up doing or if it's something that all Vietnamese people do... but regardless of where it comes from, I still love snacking on avocados this way.

One of my favorite things to make with avocados is guacamole. There are probably hundreds of different recipes out there - I've made about four or five of them. Eventually, I learned a little bit of what I liked from each one and developed my own recipe. This recipe makes quite a bit (perfect for bringing to potlucks or parties) but it can also be easily halved. Everyone who has tried this loves it, and one friend even jokingly told me that it gets her "Mexican seal of approval." Ha!

I like to serve my guacamole with homemade tortilla chips. They are baked, not fried, because we all know I need to save the calories for all the other sweet treats I eat :)


The lime juice in the recipe not only adds great flavor, but it also helps decrease the browning that occurs over time secondary to oxidation. If you're not going to serve it immediately, another trick I learned (I don't remember where), is to throw one of the avocado seeds in while you're mixing it all together and leave it in there until ready to serve. I've only tried that once, but it worked like a charm.


Guacamole
from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats

3/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 tomatoes, diced
6 avocados
2 garlic cloves, finely diced (optional)
1 tsp salt
2.5 limes, juiced
1-1 1/2 tsp chili paste (or 1 jalapeno, finely diced)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise around the pits. Twist in opposite directions to separate the halves. Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh out of each half. Throw away the pits and the skins. Cut the flesh from 1-2 avocados into small chunks and set them aside in a small bowl.

Add the remaining avocados and all the other ingredients into a large bowl. Using a fork, mix it all together and mash the avocados until well combined. Add the chunks of avocado and gently mix to combine. Taste the guacamole and add more salt, lime juice, or chili paste to taste.

If you are serving it later, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole and put it in the refrigerator.

Serve with homemade tortilla chips for dipping.

Yield: About 10 Servings.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Sun Dried Tomato Dip

I love sun dried tomatoes. We buy them in bulk from Sam's Club or Costco and I love to cook with them whenever possible. So when I came across this recipe from Ina Garten on foodnetwork.com, I knew I had to try it! The recipe says to serve it at room temperature, but I found it was good chilled too.

I also found that this was great as a spread... I used it in pitas and wraps. Then I added some chicken and veggies, and I had quick, easy meal to bring to work for lunch!

Sun Dried Tomato Dip
from the Barefoot Contessa


1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)


Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

The Famous 'Crack Dip'

There are always a few posts each week on the What's Cooking? Board requesting the 'Crack Dip' recipe. So, after hearing so many great things about it, I thought I would try it. There are several variations out there, but here is the recipe I used:

Buffalo Chicken Dip (aka Crack Dip)
from What's Cooking Blog


4 boiled chicken breasts
8 oz. Hot Sauce
8 oz. Ranch Salad Dressing
8 oz. crumbled Bleu Cheese (I omitted this, as I don't like bleu cheese)
8 oz. shredded Cheddar Cheese
16 oz Cream Cheese, softened

Mix all ingredients, bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Serve with celery and tortilla chips.


I have to say that the recipe was good, but not so great that I would call it crack dip, but that's just me I guess. I halved the recipe, and it was enough to fill a 9" pyrex pie pan. I think the half recipe would be enough for 6-8 people.