![\"Halloween](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/Halloween-appetizer-recipe1.jpg\" "\\"Halloween")
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My assignment from the hostess:\u00a0 Create a spooky appetizer for the neighborhood Halloween party.<\/p>\n
It should have been easy.\u00a0 But as much as I like the fantasy of the scary holiday, I still want my food to be real.\u00a0 Yet wherever I looked for inspiration, all I found was processed food and outrageous colors.\u00a0 The dishes were amusing\u00a0 but I wouldn’t eat them.<\/p>\n
What I needed was terrific food in Halloween disguise.\u00a0\u00a0 Enter homemade sesame seed crackers in bat shapes and zesty pimento cheese spread, which just happens to come in the perfect shade of orange.<\/p>\n
Inspiration for the crackers came from a bat cookie cutter I picked up for less than a dollar last weekend.\u00a0 The recipe is drawn from “D.I.Y. Delicious,” <\/a>by Vanessa Barrington (Chronicle Books, 2010, $24.95), an inspiring new cookbook on making everything from jam to yogurt at home.<\/p>\n Pimento cheese is a family favorite that I remember my parents making in big batches when I was a child.\u00a0 It’s a southern tradition and a staple at parties from Atlanta to Austin. Although my parents made a production of pimento cheese, employing a food grinder to grate huge blocks of sharp cheddar cheese, I make smaller quantities in a snap with a food processor.\u00a0 I’ve also introduced a little cream cheese to make the mixture more spreadable.<\/p>\n Making the crackers is simpler than you might think, too, and they taste much better than the packaged variety.\u00a0 The whole wheat and olive oil dough comes together quickly \u2013 again in a food processor\u2013and rests for half an hour or so before you roll it out as thin as you can, sprinkling on sea salt and sesame seeds before the last couple passes of the rolling pin.<\/p>\n Creating the fancy shapes is a little more difficult since the dough stretches and resists cuts more than cookie dough.\u00a0 I used a small sharp knife to trace the outline of the cutter before trying to transfer the bat shapes to the cookie sheet for baking.\u00a0 One way to save time would be to cut about half of the dough into fancy shapes to decorate the serving platter and slice the rest into strips for dipping into the pimento cheese.<\/p>\n Getting enough sesame seeds to stick to the crackers also is a bit tricky. I brushed a little egg white wash over the crackers and sprinkled on more seeds just before baking.<\/p>\n The finished appetizer may not send the kids shrieking from the room in horror, but the adults are bound to be delighted.<\/p>\n 2 cups whole wheat flour plus more for rolling In the work bowl of a food processor, whirl 2 cups flour, olive oil, water, kosher salt and baking powder together until the mixture forms a ball, 1-2 minutes.\u00a0 Remove from processor and shape into smooth ball. Cover with a towel to keep it from drying out and let rest for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours.<\/p>\n Preheat oven to 400 degrees.\u00a0 Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to about 1\/8 inch, flipping it over and adding more flour as necessary if the dough sticks.\u00a0 Sprinkle the surface lightly with sea salt (or more kosher salt) and heavily with sesame seeds.\u00a0 Continue rolling, pressing the salt and seeds into the surface, until the dough is very thin but still thick enough to handle.<\/p>\n Cut the dough into shapes with cutters or slice into strips about 2 inches wide.\u00a0 Transfer shapes to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.\u00a0 Prick each cracker several times with the tines of a fork, brush lightly with the beaten egg wash, and sprinkle with a heavy layer of sesame seeds.<\/p>\n Bake crackers until they begin to turn a light golden brown, 12-15 minutes.\u00a0 They will continue to crisp up as they cool.\u00a0 Break strips into irregular shards.<\/p>\n Store cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.<\/p>\n Adapted from “D.I.Y. Delicious,” by Vanessa Barrington<\/em><\/div>\n 1\/3 cup grated yellow onion, preferably sweet Vidalia or Maui In the work bowl of a food processor, combine onion, cheddar cheese, cream cheese and mayonnaise and whirl until well combined.\u00a0 (I usually grate the onion and cheese in the processor, too.)\u00a0 Add pimentos, hot sauce, salt and pepper and pulse just until the pimento is mixed throughout the spread.\u00a0 Flecks of red should remain visible.<\/p>\n Transfer spread to a bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate until about an hour before serving.\u00a0 Pimento cheese keeps in the refrigerator for about a week.<\/p>\n Aleta Watson<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My assignment from the hostess:\u00a0 Create a spooky appetizer for the neighborhood Halloween party. It should have been easy.\u00a0 But as much as I like the fantasy of the scary holiday, I still want my food to be real.\u00a0 Yet wherever I looked for inspiration, all I found was processed food and outrageous colors.\u00a0 The … Continue reading Going batty over Halloween<\/span> WHOLE WHEAT SESAME CRACKERS RECIPE<\/strong>
\nMakes about 20 4\u00bd-inch shapes plus strips<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\n1\/4 cup olive oil
\n3\/4 cup water
\n1 teaspoon kosher salt
\n1\/2 teaspoon baking powder
\n5-6 tablespoons black sesame seeds
\nSea salt for sprinkling
\n1 egg white beaten\u00a0 with 2 tablespoons water<\/p>\nPIMENTO CHEESE RECIPE<\/strong>
\nMakes 2 cups<\/em><\/p>\n
\n1\/2 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
\n1\/4 cup cream cheese (about 2 ounces)
\n3 tablespoons mayonnaise
\n2-ounce jar pimentos, drained, and coarsely chopped
\nDash of hot sauce, or more to taste
\nSalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste<\/p>\n