Easy Entertaining: Icebox Crackers

Recently I taught a class on hors d’oeuvres at Williams-Sonoma. The Rosemary-Parmesan Icebox Crackers featured in the class were so good and yet so easy that I decided I should share them here.

Rosemary-Parmesan Icebox Crackers

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sel gris or kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ cup heavy cream

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and rosemary in the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times, until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Add the cheese and pulse a couple of times to mix. With the motor running, add the cream and process until the dough forms a single mass. Transfer the dough to a work surface and form into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

To bake the crackers, preheat your oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the log of dough as evenly as possible into 1/8th-inch crackers and place on the baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes or so until the crackers are light golden brown. When done, transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack until the crackers are cool to the touch, then transfer the crackers to the rack.

Yields 20-24 crackers. Store in an airtight container 1-2 days. These crackers are best the day they’re made, but if you need to make them ahead of time, a few minutes in a 325°F oven will revive them.

These crackers match quite well with Cranberry-Apple Chutney, especially when served with a Delice de Bourgogne and Brut Rosé from Soter Vineyards. There’s no better way to start your Thanksgiving entertaining!