I love snacks. So much so that I have been known to skip the dinner and just have snacks. I know, I know, not good for you. But sometimes when I'm really tired or stressed or busy, I cannot bring myself to cook and the thought of a regular meal makes me feel full before I even eat. It's so much easier to just pick at a bowl of pretzels or Chex Mix or something.So I always have some kind of snacks around, just in case, but I have never really made my own. So the other day I decided to make my own crackers. These are called "tejas," which means "roof tiles" in Spanish. The recipe comes from Bon Appetit's September issue. It's a recipe of Francis Paniego, a Michelin-starred chef from Spain. These crackers are pretty much made for snacking on with wine in the early evening after your work is done.
I think my phyllo dough is extra thin. I had to stack four layers and even so, I had to keep a watch on it in the oven as it cooked in only a few minutes. The crackers turned out to be light and crispy with a subtle sweet-savory flavor.
TEJAS with SUNFLOWER SEEDS
(Makes 36 crackers)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
4 large egg whites
12 sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed (each sheet should be 13x9)
2 1/2 cups shelled unsalted sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat; cool until barely lukewarm. Add sugar, egg whites, and pinch of salt; whisk until thick and smooth. Brush one phyllo sheet with thin layer of butter mixture. Cut into six 4" squares. Transfer squares to parchment-lined sheets. Sprinkle each square with 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, salt, and pepper. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer crackers to rack to cool. Repeat with remaining phyllo, butter mixture, and sunflower seeds to make a total of 36 crackers.
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