Every evening during our stay at the Goring Hotel, before heading out to scour our London neighborhood for a place to have dinner, we would stop in at the cozy cocktail bar just off the lobby to have a glass of wine and watch the interesting people come and go. We enjoyed the scene and the impeccable service, but our favorite thing about cocktails at the Goring was the little tray of nibbles they always brought out with the drinks. Three miniscule sterling silver cups: one filled with olives, the second with thick-cut house-made potato chips, and the third with tiny, cheesy crackers so tender and crumbly, they dissolved on our tongues. A couple of weeks later, home from the trip but wanting the excitement of it to last, we settled in one night to watch a slideshow of our photos. I surprised John with three little cups of snacks to have with our wine: olives, chips, and my homemade version of the Goring’s Cheddar crackers.
The dough for these Cheddar crackers is basically a savory take on shortbread. Butter, cheese, flour and spices are the only ingredients. With no liquid, the dough is extremely dry and crumbly, so much so that when you first start to work with it you’re going to doubt that it will ever hold together. Trust, and resist the urge to add water. After you mix the dough, give it an hour to rest in the fridge, and then work it briefly and gently with your hands on a bare (un-floured) pastry board. The heat from your hands will work like magic to transform the dough to a smooth, firm consistency that’s a breeze to roll out and slice into tiny squares to form the crackers.
I serve these Cheddar Crackers piled in a little bowl, Goring-style. But they would also be right at home on a platter with other crackers, cheeses, nuts and fruit.
Making these ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- Once you’ve mixed the dough, it needs to chill for at least an hour but can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking the crackers. Or freeze it for up to one month and then thaw overnight in the fridge before proceeding.
- Cheddar Crackers are best served within a short time after baking. If they’re left to sit for even a couple of hours, their crisp-crumbly, slightly sandy texture will start to soften. As soon as they come out of the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes just so they’re not too fragile, then serve them when they’re still slightly warm.
- To get a head start, you could roll out and cut the crackers, arrange them on the baking sheet, and chill them on the sheet for several hours, then bake at the last minute.
- Leftovers can be revived by reheating them at 300 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy them within a day or two.
To see this recipe combined with other dishes in a warming, autumn menu, see my post for Saturday November 7, 2020.
The Goring is a small, family-owned hotel located around the corner from Buckingham Palace. It was so beautiful and comfortable, with such friendly and attentive staff, staying there was a special experience that I would dearly love to repeat. The day we checked out the owner thanked us for staying with them and asked if we’d be back. When we said we would love to come back someday, he said, “We’ll always be here.” We found that extremely comforting.
Cheddar Crackers
Ingredients
- 5 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cubed into 16 pieces
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or ¼ teaspoon Morton’s
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Large pinch of Aleppo pepper or cayenne, to taste
- 1 cup (4¼ ounces or 120 grams) all-purpose flour, plus additional for the board
Directions
- Step 1 Put one ounce of the cheese in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it until it’s minced into tiny pieces. Transfer the cheese to a small bowl and chill it.
- Step 2 Put the remaining 4 ounces of the cheese, the butter, salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper in the food processor and pulse until the butter is broken up into pieces the size of peas. Add the flour and pulse again, until the mixture takes on a pebbly texture with pieces about the size of peppercorns. The mixture will be very loose and quite dry.
- Step 3 Turn the mixture out onto an un-floured board and divide it into two piles. Quickly and firmly form one pile into a clump, compacting it as best you can. This will be messy, and the dough will be very crumbly. Tear a piece of plastic wrap and transfer the pile/ball of dough to the center of the plastic. Bring it together into as tightly-packed a ball as you can, and then gently flatten it to a rough disk. Pull the sides of the plastic in to wrap the dough, pulling the plastic tightly from all sides and using it to compress the dough. Once the dough is completely wrapped, press it with your hands to bring it together more firmly. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days, or wrap in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag and freeze for up to a month.
- Step 4 When you’re ready to bake the crackers, heat the oven to 350 with a rack in the center position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 5 Unwrap one piece of the dough and place it on an un-floured pastry board. Gently knead the dough, squeezing it with your hands until it softens just slightly and comes together in a smooth dough. Lightly flour the board and roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 1/3-inch thick. With a chef’s knife, cut the edges straight, then cut the dough into strips about 1 inch wide. Cut each strip into 1-inch squares. Transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheet. Set the scraps of dough to the side. Repeat with the second piece of dough, kneading, rolling out and cutting into 1-inch squares. Take the scraps from both halves of the dough, knead them together briefly, roll them out and cut out as many additional crackers as you can.
- Step 6 Sprinkle the tops of the crackers with the reserved cheese, dividing it evenly and trying to keep it all on the crackers and not letting it fall to the baking sheet.
- Step 7 Bake the crackers for 15 to 17 minutes, until they’re golden brown on the bottoms and edges. Switch the oven to broil, move the pan to a higher rack, and broil the crackers, watching closely, for 1 to 2 minutes until the tops of the crackers are golden and the cheese is sizzling. Don’t let them burn.
- Step 8 Remove the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the crackers cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
