july: anna’s raincoast crisps

My favorite crisps of all time are Lesley Stowe’s raincoast crisps, which are sold in Wholefoods and gourmet food stores. There are several flavors with different combinations of dried fruit and nuts, but the one I like the best is cranberry and hazelnut. They are thin and crispy, with the contrasting flavors and textures from the fruit and nuts. Although they have a lot of ingredients, the taste is subtle and they pair amazingly well with soft cheeses like camembert or brie. They can also be eaten plain or with other sweet or savory toppings. There are a number of copycat recipes out there, probably due to the price point of the crisps ($8-10 for a single pack). I’m not sure who was the original source for the recipe, but I was definitely happy to find it! And even happier when they turned out just like the store bought ones! 

These are also incredibly easy to make, but it’s a two step baking process, so you need to plan ahead. The mixture is first baked in loaf pans, then cooled and refrigerated overnight, and then sliced (the refrigerated loaf is easier to slice thinly). The slices are then baked for a second time. The recipe makes two loaves. If you only want a small portion, I would recommend making the full recipe and freezing the second loaf. You can defrost the loaf in the fridge, and then slice and bake when you need them. The recipe also uses buttermilk, which I have never been able to find in a size smaller than 1 quart (1 litre), but is also something that you can freeze for next time. The other great thing about these crisps is that they don’t have any added butter or cream, and not very much sugar. This is a recipe I will keep forever!

Find the recipe here

april: anna’s parmesan shortbread

Last year, I made some rosemary shortbread for this blog, inspired by Blue Bottle Coffee. This is another one of their yummy bites.

I was actually planning to make a version of cookies and cream ice-cream with pear ice-cream and parmesan shortbread cookies. I thought this would be an interesting play on ingredients from one of my favorite simple salads, arugula with pear and parmesan. I started a new job a couple of months ago, and it has been a lot busier than expected, so I just didn’t manage to find the time to try it out this month!

These shortbread cookies were pretty easy to whip up, but they take a bit of advanced planning, as you need to chill the dough and then let it come back to room temperature before rolling and baking. The original recipe finishes the cookies with a combination of fennel and sea salt, but I wasn’t feeling that adventurous today, so I just used the sea salt. The smell of these cookies baking was divine, just like grilled cheese sandwiches!

If you are a fan of sweet and salty treats, like me, then this is one for you!

Find the recipe here