I am not a big fan of smoked foods. Being from The South, this is blasphemous since everything that once walked on two or four legs is smoked before eating… except dogs and cats… at least that is my assumption. Once you smoke it, it all tastes like ham to me.
In the Tillamook “goody bag” is a piece of Smoked Medium Cheddar and I put off trying it, fearing I might not be the best judge of its taste. I decided to use it in a recipe instead; Cheddar Cheese Crackers. I reviewed several recipes and discovered most are pretty much the same. I melded two or three of them together to come up with my own twist.
Some producers add liquid smoke but not Tillamook; they do it the traditional way. Tillamook ages their Medium Yellow Cheddar for sixty days, hand-cuts, racks and cold smokes the pieces over hickory for 6 to 8 hours.
I don’t profess to know if adding liquid smoke produces a different flavor profile but I do know liquid smoke would mix the taste throughout the cheese, whereas cold smoking concentrates the smoke flavor at the edges.
Before making the crackers I tasted a center-cut piece to get the feel and taste of the cheese; not just the edges which are a little harder from the smoking. Again, as a non-fan of smoked foods, I’m not the best judge but while the edges were smoky, the center of the piece was not. It was robust, silky and nutty; exactly what you would expect (and love) from Tillamook’s iconic Medium Cheddar.
If you’d like to learn more about the chemistry of smoked cheese, Pat Polowsky’s Cheese Toolkit article on smoked cheese fits the bill. And if you are thinking about smoking your own cheese (I have a client who buys premium cheddars from me in two pound blocks and smokes them himself), there are numerous tutorials on Youtube. The secret is keeping the heat low and consistent. AND not melting the cheese.
Now for the crackers… here’s what I did (This is a simple recipe. I’d venture that anyone can have success with this
recipe):
Ingredients:
8 ounces Tillamook Smoked Medium Cheddar
4 ounces salted butter, room temp
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons ice water
Sea salt to sprinkle on top before baking (which I forgot to do…)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C)
Using food processor, use both blade inside and shred disk. Process cheese through shredder. Leave in bowl.
Add butter and flour to cheese. Process.
With processor running, add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time.
You will have a sticky dough.
Remove and form two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
After chilling, roll balls out into pastry 1/8” thick. Cut into small squares (I used pizza cutter). A couple of the tutorial recipes I watched actually used a ruler to get the crackers a perfect, consistent size. I’m neither that anal nor that patient.
Place cut dough on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Poke middle of each with a blunt-ended stick (I used a kabob skewer). This will help let steam escape (to create a crispier cracker).
Bake 15-18 minutes or up to 23 minutes for crispier crackers. No oven is the same and I suggest at fifteen minutes assess how baked the crackers are and re-check every three minutes until they reach your desired “doneness”. The Man likes them chewier and I like them crispier.
Cool and try to control yourself. Store in air-tight container. I’m addicted to zippered bags. Store at room temperature.
While baking the smoky aroma permeated the kitchen, especially when I removed them from the oven. However, the smoke was not as evident in the cracker. These crackers are buttery and cheddary; nothing like those little squares ones we grew-up eating. These are Adult Cheddar Crackers. According to The Man, he’d like to have these available from now on… I’ve created a Cracker Monster… but then again… he’s The Man…
In addition to being an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
Starting June 12, 2020, you will be able to purchase my curated selection of Specialty Cheeses and Charcuterie at Blue Haven Bee Wine Bar in Canon and Sweet Combs of Honey in Downtown Lavonia. I will be offering my selections of Cheddar, Gouda, Alpine, Flavored and Blues. Plus Prosciutto and other cured Italian-style meats for your summer picnic and snacking needs. Both locations will also carry a selection of my Premium Line of Small-Batch Cheese Spreads.
FTC disclosure: Tillamook sent samples to me for tasting and discussing on my website. Other than the cheese, I receive no compensation from Tillamook. As an #amazoninfluencer there may be affiliate links from which I would derive income should you support these links.
The opinions are my own and those of The Man.
You will find a selection of Tillamook cheeses at my Amazon storefront.
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