Cheese 'n' crackers...

Before the cheese and crackers, a story!
A couple of weeks ago, there was a lamb that was bummed by it's mother.  It was looking very thin and ill so we decided to catch it and take it to the goat herders in town.  They were glad to receive her into the fold,  and in return Mrs. Goatherder  gave us a gallon of fresh goat milk to take home.  I was thrilled.  I decided to make goat cheese with it.  It was so easy to make.  I followed the directions at Henry Milker, and it turned out just perfect.  I added dill, garlic, and salt to mine, and I let it cure in the fridge for a couple days before eating it.  It's a soft cheese, similar to cream cheese but maybe a little bit firmer.

After making the delicious goat cheese, I decided I needed some crackers to go with it.  I didn't have a cracker in the house so I decided to make my favorite cracker recipe,  Rustic Crackers.  I found the recipe in the MaryJanes Farm magazine years ago.  I've made a few cracker recipes since, but nothing could even come close to this one.  So I'll share it with you here.  You can mix and match the kinds of flour you like and also change up the seeds to your preference.

Rustic Crackers

1 1/2 c. flour (I like to use half whole wheat or rye)
1 1/2 t. cream of tartar
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. water

Wash:
1 egg
2 t. sugar
1 t. balsamic vinegar (you could use apple cider)

1/4 c. sesame seeds
course salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350* and lightly grease two cookie sheets.
In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients and mix well.  Add oil and stir until mixture resembles course meal.  Add water and stir until dough sticks together.  (you may need to add a little extra)

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, and vinegar.  Set aside.

Split dough into two equal pieces.  Turn one lump out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out very thin. (think pie crust)  Place on a greased cookie sheet and brush generously with half of the wash mixture.  Sprinkle with salt and sesame seeds.  Repeat with the other lump of dough.  Score with pizza cutter into desired shapes/sizes.  Bake time will vary with thickness of the crackers.  Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes at 350*.  I find that the crackers on the outside edges bake faster so I remove them when they are dark golden brown and allow the rest of the crackers to finish baking.  Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

I use ALL of the wash on the crackers.  It helps them to brown and gives them a very tasty flavor.

This batch I incorporated ground flax seed into the flour and also sprinkled whole flax seeds into the dough instead of sprinkling on top. This is a very versatile recipe.  Experiment with your favorite add-ins and enjoy.  You can't beat healthy crackers that are easy to make and inexpensive.  Have you priced good crackers lately?  Four bucks a box at my grocery store!

We've had some beautiful days here lately, and tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to climb into the 60s, but guess what!  We're expecting a big spring snowstorm the very next day -- 12-18" of snow!  The good news is that it'll melt off fast!  That's spring on the northern prairies for ya.