We recently got invited to a birthday party, where everyone had to bring ‘art’ appetizers or desserts. We decided to make Lavash, it’s a recipe we make regularly, it tastes great, and the catered food at the event was middle eastern, so it was perfect. We thought a huge cracker could serve as a perfect canvas for art.
So, we bought a couple of templates, one of fall leaves, and one of Yoda. Wendie printed a black-and-white image of Bob Marley, and cut it into a template as well. And then, off the the ovens.
We love to make lavash crackers, they are fun, fairly easy, and you can use them for appetizers like this one. This is very simply just two of our own crackers with a falafel, homemade pesto, and sprinkled with smoked paprika. We had this around midnight while watching the episode of Lost where Locke stops the islands time-switches. It was an on-the-spur of the moment little snack we just improvised with what was available, but it turned our really good. In fact, we’re now considering if these may be worth serving at our wedding reception in April (Yeah, we’re getting married). Well done Locke, we salute you with falafel !
Lavash Crackers With Falafel, Pesto And Grape Tomato
Sure, it looks inconspicuous, but this little thing will burn you up. Don’t make this unless you have a high tolerance for hot spices, or substitute the chili jam for something of a more moderate taste.
After making a fantastic tuna sandwich, we made a few variations of tuna appetizers the next day. This is one of them, and it’s great. When working with tuna, be very careful not to overpower the subtle taste. We added a very mild Saint Faron cheese as a spread almost, and topped it with a small amount of balsamic vinegar reduction. Notice how the vinegar brings out the texture of the tuna in the pictures. This is a bite of food heaven.
Seared Tuna on Saint Faron Cheese with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Appetizer
For Christmas 2007, Wendie bought me a torch – one of those you use in making desserts such as creme brulee. I had seen one on TV and I wanted it desperately. When I got it, I started manically torching everything, hoping to discover new uses and develop new dishes. As it turned out, most things don’t do well being torched. Roast beef… not so good. Vegetables…nope. Cornflakes… wouldn’t recommend it. The one thing that actually has its moments is cheese.
With the torch I can melt the surface of the cheese, and when biting into it you get a a feeling of warmth on your upper lip, while the rest of the bite is cold. Not entirely unpleasant. For a cheese sandwich, this requires a huge amount of torching action, due to the surface that needs to be melted, but for appetizers it works. After two years I still haven’t made creme brulee, but I’ve managed to construct this appetizer, which in my opinion is perfect for all those torches out there collecting dust. Enjoy.
Torched Roquefort Cracker with Muffaletta Spread and Pecorino Romano Cheese
After a week of large, fun, great sandwiches, we thought it was time to scale back to something simple. This is a cracker, with homemade yogurt cheese, and sliced red bell pepper. It doesn’t get much simpler when it comes to food than this, plus this is a great appetizer for parties or get-togethers’. If you are making the yogurt cheese yourself, then remember to start the day before.
Homemade Yogurt Cheese on Cracker with Red Bell Pepper (Appetizer)
When all you want is a quick snack, this is a tasty in-between meals treat. The yogurt cheese and the capers make a nice pairing for the smoked salmon, and that’s really all there is to it. Very easy to make if you are hosting a party, or have friends dropping by, as long as you have prepared the yogurt for the yogurt cheese the day before.
Cracker topped with yogurt cheese, smoked salmon and capers (Appetizer)
There are times when a full sandwich is too much, and no sandwich is too little. Thankfully, for those times there are appetizers such as this. To justify adding this to the blog, I call it a ‘cracker sandwich’ (For which I received a scowl from my fellow sandwich maker). Anyway, the Saint Faron is a cheese we got at Costco this weekend. It’s very mild (So make sure to enjoy it at room temperature), and brags being a ‘French Triple Crème Cow’s Milk Cheese’. At the risk of being labelled uneducated, what is ‘triple crème‘ exactly? I mean, does it come from three different cows? Can I have their names? Someone explain this to me.
Saint Faron Cheese Cracker "Sandwich" with Blueberries and Yellow Pear Tomato
Hungry for a snack, I found some cilantro lime shrimp from Costco in the fridge, along with a bit of smoked salmon. In about 1 minute I had created this little post-lunch cracker, which would also work great as an appetizer for a party. The cracker used here is a water cracker, but I think I would prefer something a little more rustic next time.
Don’t be intimidated by the length of this lavash cracker recipe, or the ingredient list. The process is a bit involved and definitely requires more time than a sandwich but the effort is well worth it. With a little attention, even novice bakers will be able to make this a staple in their pantries. Add the spices and seeds you like, and make it your own creation.
