Recipe: Pecan Blue Cheese Crackers

PECAN BLUE CHEESE CRACKERS
Source: Gourmet Magazine, December 1997

1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 pound Saga blue cheese, softened
1 large egg, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour

In a preheated 350 degrees F oven toast 1/2 cup pecans, about 7 minutes, and cool. Finely chop toasted pecans.

In a bowl with a fork cream butter and blue cheese until smooth.

Add egg yolk, stirring until combined well (reserve egg white).

Add flour and chopped pecans and stir until mixture just forms a dough. Halve dough and on separate sheets of wax paper form each half into a 12- by 1 1/4-inch log, using wax paper as a guide.

Freeze logs, wrapped in wax paper, just until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange slices about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Top each cracker with a remaining pecan half, pressing slightly into dough.

Brush tops of crackers, including pecans, with lightly beaten egg white.

Bake crackers in batches, if necessary, in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 12 minutes total. With a spatula transfer crackers to paper towels to blot and transfer to a rack to cool.

Makes about 90 crackers (each log makes about 45 crackers)