Cheese and pepper crackers

Name: Cheese and pepper crackers
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: about 50 small biscuits
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 50g sour cream; 1 egg yolk; 2 tsp Dijon (or grain) mustard; 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; 220g plain flour; 60g cheddar cheese, coarsely grated; 25g pecorino (or parmesan) cheese, coarsely grated, plus extra 10g, finely grated for sprinkling on top; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for sprinkling; 150g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

Helen Goh

December 9, 2022

Really good cheese and pepper crackers.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsMakes:about 50 small biscuits

There are several ways you can prepare these addictive biscuits, which are perfect for Christmas entertaining ahead of time. You can make the pastry up to two days ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to roll and cut; roll out, cut, then freeze the individual biscuits, ready to bake from frozen; or bake them up to three days ahead and store in an airtight container. Keep the crackers small; they're crispy and flaky and best devoured in one or two mouthfuls.

Ingredients

50g sour cream
1 egg yolk
2 tsp Dijon (or grain) mustard
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
220g plain flour
60g cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
25g pecorino (or parmesan) cheese, coarsely grated, plus extra 10g, finely grated for sprinkling on top
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for sprinkling
150g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

Method

Step 1
Combine the sour cream, egg yolk, mustard, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.
Step 2
Place flour, cheddar cheese, 25g of the pecorino, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 20 times until the butter is in small pieces and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream mixture and pulse about a dozen times until the pastry just begins to come together, then tip it out onto a lightly floured kitchen bench. Knead gently for just a few seconds to form a smooth ball, then place in a recyclable plastic bag. Press to form a flattened disc, then seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
Step 3
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional) and line 2 large oven trays with baking paper.
Step 4
Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut in half. Place one back on the lightly floured bench and return the other half, in the bag, to the fridge. Using a rolling pin, tap the pastry all over to soften it a little, then roll out to a thickness of about 4-5mm, sprinkling with a little flour if it becomes sticky. Stamp out the pastry using biscuit-cutters of your choice, then place the crackers on the lined baking trays, spaced 2cm apart. Loosely gather the pastry offcuts and place in the bag in the fridge to chill as you remove the second block of pastry to roll out and cut. Combine the pastry scraps from the second batch with the first, knead gently to form a ball, then re-roll and cut out more biscuits until all the pastry is used.
Step 5
Sprinkle a little of the extra pecorino on top of each biscuit, along with some cracked black pepper. Place the trays in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the biscuits are a light golden-brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before serving or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.