Parmesan mousse with poppyseed and asiago crackers

These crackers weren't in the original plan. I'm glad I made them though. You see, The Parmesan mousse was something I'd made for first course of the disaster dinner. On the night of the disaster, I served it on top of a layer of chargrilled asparagus. I just don't think it stood up to the asparagus the way I'd intended though. It was too mild. Never one to want to walk away from something that I know could be good if given the proper opportunity, I decided to try a different partner for the mousse, and was I ever glad I did. I must give credit where credit is due though, and point out that it was Cakes' idea for me to make crackers.

I made some cookies a fair while back that included cornmeal in the batter. It gave them a really nice, slightly meatier, texture, so that's where I started out with my crackers. I really just chucked a bunch of stuff in a bowl, based on what I had in the cupboard, and what came out was fantastic. These little crackers are crispy and flavourful and a tiny bit cheesy without being too heavy on the cheese or the fat - one of the problems with a number of the cracker recipes I perused for inspiration. All of them seemed so heavily buttery and cheesy that I couldn't in good conscience pair them with what is already a fairly rich partner.

Try this combo for an appetizer for your next party. I guarantee they'll disappear. The crackers stay pretty crispy as long as you keep them well sealed, so make some extra for snacks.

Parmesan Mousse

• 250ml cream
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed with the back of a flat knife
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 packet (8 grams) of gelatin dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 cup grated good quality Parmesan
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup grated other cheese such as Gruyere, cheddar or provolone (I used Gruyere)
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped herbs - I used chives and parsley - I reckon basil would also be nice.
• 250ml cream

Simmer the garlic in the first quantity of cream at medium-low heat in a small saucepan for 10 minutes. Place yolks in a small bowl. Whisk 1/3 cup of the warm cream into the yolks. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan of cream, whisking continuously. Continue to heat the cream over medium heat, whisking, until thickened. Stir in the softened gelatin and continue stirring until dissolved. Add cheese and salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is fully incorporated. Remove pan from heat and set in a cool, not cold, water bath while you whip the second portion of cream to stiff peaks. Check that the custard is cool, but not started to set up.  Fold the whipped cream and custard together. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Add the chopped herbs. Divide into individual serving dished, or one big dish if you are planning on spooning servings out later. Chill for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight. You could also do this in dariole molds and turn them out onto individual serving plates.

Poppy seed and Asiago Crackers

• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup cake and pastry flour
• 1/4 cup white cornmeal or quick grits
• 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup finely grated asiago cheese
• 4 Tablespoons yogurt

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Rub the butter through the way you would for making biscuits. Stir in the cheese and then mix the yogurt through with a wooden spoon or using a stand mixer until you have a cohesive but slightly sticky ball of heavy medium-soft dough.

Spread some flour on a clean surface and use your hands to pat the ball down into a flat disk. Flour the top of the disc and roll the dough into a sheet roughly 1.5 millimetres thick. Use a metal ruler and a sharp knife to slice the dough into rectangles approximately 2 by 4 centimetres. The dough should make roughly 75 of these little rectangles. Transfer them to a non-stick baking sheet, leaving 1 centimetre between their edges. Bake at 400F for around 12 minutes, or until you see them start to brown lightly around the edges. Transfer them to a wire rack to cook completely.

Comments

[veronica]

wonderful bravissimo

[Alanna]

Gorgeous! Just to confirm, 1/2 cup of both cake flour * and * pastry flour? I think of these as the same thing except that there is whole wheat pastry flour which is different than cake flour ... ??

[Lyn]

Alana: It is the same thing - it is only 1/2 cup flour. The flour I use is Rose Brand "Cake & Pastry Flour".

[Cat]

By "corn flour", do you mean masa harina (super-fine ground cornmeal processed with lime, used for making tortillas) or cornstarch (called "cornflour" in British English)? These crackers sound delicious, and I would really like to make them.

[M Vroom]

I'd have to assume that cornstarch would give an odd result. Corn flour almost certainly refers the kind for making tortillas.