Fig Walnut Crisps
Already, today's list is looking distressingly long. Half my Christmas cards not sent yet, gifts not wrapped, house a mess. Isn't this what we're supposed to say at Christmas? Cliché moans of "Not enough time!" or "Christmas comes earlier every year!" All that's true, but, in spite of the break-in, I feel a little Christmas spirit sneaking in. I'm even making cranberry cognac trifle again, if you can believe it.
A few years ago, I stopped purchasing gifts for family and friends. Children are the exception--for some reason, they don't get excited about chutney or spiced nuts. Everybody else gets things from the kitchen. Always granola, and this year, some combination of lemon curd, cranberry vanilla jam, or these crisps.
Have you seen these crisps in bakeries or at nice grocery stores? They're so expensive! Generally around $10 for a small package whose ingredients cost $2. I love them, but never buy them. Brie or chevre are absolutely transformed atop these little things--they make crackers seem pretty darn boring. I know I've been using an inordinate amount of dried fruits and nuts lately. It's the season. So much fresh stuff is out of season, so I dig into the pantry.
Since you're probably reading this much too late for more Christmas baking, I think these make wonderful New Year's treats or hostess gifts for that wild party you're going to. (Our wild New Years always consists of holing up at Bethany and Chris' house in Bellingham and consuming egregious amounts of cheese.)
In Praise of Leftovers is going silent for several days since things in my offline life will be busy. But I feel all sentimental signing off this time. This is my first Christmas as a blogger, and I feel my community has expanded. Thank you for your part in that. And if I could digitally cry, I'd be crying as I tell you how generous, kind, and present everyone has been to us since the break-in. Daily, envelopes have arrived for Wyatt with money to restart his piggy bank, and his eyes get wider each time. For all of us, it's a tangible reminder that we are loved. I feel so sad (and yes, still mad!) for the person that was here in the dark, stealing cheese and chicken and spare change. That's desperate. Wherever s/he is, I hope their envelopes start coming in the mail soon, too. Merry Christmas, friends.
Fig Walnut Crisps
Have I directed you to Seven Spoons yet? It's one of my daily reads. I remember, right when I was starting my blog, I'd read Tara's with my jaw on the floor. So beautiful! And so beautifully written! I still feel that way about it. The only thing I changed from her recipe was adding some coarse sugar and salt to the tops of these loaves and baking them in mini pans instead of full ones.
softened butter for greasing pans, or nonstick spray
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup coarsely-chopped dried figs
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seed meal or whole flax seed, bashed in a mortar and pestle or pulsed in a spice grinder
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tb. coarse sugar
1 tsp. grey salt or flake salt
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 4 mini loaf pans, or spray with a nonstick spray.
Spread the walnuts and pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes until fragrant but without much color. Remove from the baking sheet and into a bowl, then set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir until combined. Add the reserved nuts and remaining ingredients and stir until just blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Top loaves with a sprinkling of coarse sugar and flake salt. Bake until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes. When touched, the loaves should spring back immediately. Turn the loaves out of their pans to cool completely, right side up, on a wire rack.
The bread is easiest to slice when fully-cooled. Leave the loaves to rest at room temperate for a few hours or, following do what I did and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Heat to 300° F and bake them for about 12 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. Cool completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container.
December 23, 2009
Reader Comments (19)
Okay, I am cursing you once again! ; ) I just returned from the grocery store. . . and now I want to make these, which will require another trip!!!! They look so delicious (and all your food is beautiful). I will take your advice and make it for a post-Christmas get-together. Have a wonderful holiday with your cute family. Thank you many times over for your great blog. It has been a treat hear from you again!
what amazing gifts!! they are sheer perfection.
I am glad to hear you are taking a little break. You really do spoil us, your readers, with your very frequent posts! I first bought a version of these crackers at Leslie Stowe Fine Foods in Vancouver, B.C.. They are expensive, and I am so happy to have your recipe. Happy Holidays to you and your family! I can't tell you how often you make me smile!
you are right, these crisps are inordinately expensive. ridiculously expensive. and WHERE do you find the time to fill cello bags with handmade items????? seriously, you never cease to amaze. i would give you a digital squeeze if i could. :) and, i can't wait until new year's.
Love hearing that the Christmas spirit is sneaking in.
I'm making galettes for our Christmas dinner here in Michigan, thanks to your blog. My mom and I spent time looking through your blog together last night. "Are they always this long? That's a lot of work." That's as close to a digital comment as you're going to get from Pigeon.
Thank you for expanding our horizons and community as well.
I made these and did a post about them. I love them. They are so easy to make. Happy Holidays!
And the hits just keep on coming! These look wonderful and remind me of the yummy crisp bread you can get at An'jou bakery just west of Wenatchee - a must stop when travelling on hwy 2. I wonder if I can squeek these in before Christmas?!? Thanks so much for your inspiration Sarah. Merry Christmas!
Gifts from the kitchen are better anyways! As it's tough to bake with a baby on the hip (he's so spoiled when it comes to being held), our kitchen gifts were a little more humble with jars of apple butter tied with a ribbon - but still a joy to give. I am definitely bookmarking these for next year, though. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas. Can't wait to see what's in store for 2010!
Merry Christmas to you and all your family. Your blog has been a great daily read and love the peek into your life. Love the pix of the food (and family). I have made many of the recipes and plan to make many more. Thank you Sarah
Love the idea of this!! I just wanted to stop by and wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas! :D
I feel like several of us, if not all, may have sat down to a meal in the past few days and said out loud or thought to ourselves this recipe or even more likely, these recipes came from IPOL.
We've had galettes with chard, sauteed onions, rosemary, bacon, and gorgonzola cheese for Christmas dinner yesterday. On Christmas Eve Jess made your red skinned oven potatoes with parmesan. Yum!
Now we have a family joke around pronouncing the word galette...sometimes heard in Michigan as jalette/gilette, also may be pronounced as goulette or goulatte (I think this comes from goulash). Anyway, I think we've got the pronunciation down now after a few days of big sister correction and can simply mispronounce for fun.
You've given us a lot this year, Sarah. Thank you!
I did the spiced pecans, goat cheese stuffed dates (with pecans instead of pistachios), cran-rosemary punch (with seltzer instead of water), and chocolate cake (baked in a pan that was too small and therefore under-baked).
Because I joined the "IPOL Family" in November, I have been taking advantage of your hiatus to read the Archives. I'm enjoying every bite (post)! What do you think of this contest idea: A Winning Hearts and Mind Cake for your oldest reader???!! I hereby nominate myself, and I can hardly wait to get my cake. Happy New Year!
Poor Wyatt! and poor you.. it's so hard to have your space invaded, that stinks.
I, too, have made some version of your galette a dozen times at least - everyone always loves it! Thank you for a fabulous first year of IPOL - you're still my first blog stop every morning hoping for a new post :)
happy new year!
Your crisps look perfect! So happy to hear that you liked the recipe, which I must credit Julie (dinnerwithjulie.com) for the inspiration. These have fast become a favourite in our family, in multiple variations.
Thanks so much for your kind words, too. Hope you had a lovely, lovely holiday.
I must be one of your biggest fans! Reading that pds made chocolate cake, goat cheese filled dates, and sweet/spicy nuts, I realized that I too had made these for Christmas day as well as chocolate chocolate cookies with flaked salt, fig and olive tapenade, and Christmas Pull Apart Cinnamon rolls. Thanks you Sarah for all of these wonderful foods and flavors. But most of all, thanks for being with me on Christmas.....and in my kitchen!:)
I should clarify what I mean by "oldest reader"--Senior Citizen, Old-Age Pensioner (a label we picked up in England this fall), Retiree, etc.!!!
Old-Age Pensioner--I like that! Happy New Year, Pam. I hope I do get to make you a cake someday :)
I, too, am a fan of Tara's. Such a great writer and her photos make the kitchen seem so calm. What great gift bags you made of them!