This year’s Valentines Day passed by in a bit of a blur. Mr NQN was sick, I was busy working and it wasn’t until the day before that we realised in alarm that neither of us had organised anything. My thinking was that it’s usually time for the guy to organise something while Mr NQN’s thinking was that I usually organise everything so why wouldn’t Valentines Day be any different? Neither of us were upset, we knew that we could redo it but wanted to do something nice that evening.
The evening on the 14th I went to pick him up from work. It was a busy day on news sites (he works for one) and so he finished late, around 8pm. During the day, I had hastily cobbled together a decent-ish dinner after a hasty visit to the shops and some fast baking and I told him that we had dinner ready. But he needed to bring something too apart from his adorable self so I asked him to pop to the shops and get me something, anything really. Knowing that nothing was really open near where he works, I thought that I might get a single plastic rose or a chocolate bar. And I was really hoping for the chocolate bar.
He was a little sheepish when he took out his gifts for me but I was really quite delighted. First out came a Crunchie bar, then a Wagon Wheel, Cherry Ripe and Kinder Surprise.I was excited because apart from the Cherry Ripe, I hadn’t eaten any of the other bars in years. They ranged from awful (Wagon Wheel, what happened to it?) to just as I remembered (Crunchie).
My home made contribution to Valentines Day evening was a home made pate and crackers served with cheese (not home made). These crackers to be exact. They’re Raincoast Crisps, a seedy, nutty cracker that has something of a cult like following. They have several flavours to choose from but in this month’s Daring Bakers challenge we were just trying one.
I’ve made quite a few crackers but everyone’s reviews and response to the taste of this convinced me that this recipe was worth trying. It’s also interesting that it’s a baked quick bread, sliced thinly and then baked again to get that crispy, lacy thin crunch. They’re very straightforward to do and pair well with most things (although because there are so many flavours in it, it’s very far from a plain cracker). I did like the crunchy nutty and seediness although I would be interested in making a version without the fruit-with cheese the fruit worked beautifully but with the pate, it added a bit too much. This makes a lot of crackers too and unless you are feeding a lot of mouths, I’d suggest halving the recipe.
So tell me Dear Reader, who does the planning for Valentines Day in your relationship? And how did you end up celebrating Valentines Day?
Blog checking lines: Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to use our creativity in making our own Crisp Flatbreads and Crackers!
Raincoast Crisps
From Dinner with Julie
Servings: About 8 dozen
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) (280 gm) (10 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (1/3 oz) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt
- 2 cups (480 ml) buttermilk
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) (50 gm) (1¾ oz) brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
- 1 cup (240 ml) (180 gm) (6½ oz) raisins or dried cranberries (I used the latter)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) (125 gm) (4½ oz) roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) flax seed, ground
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (2 gm) finely chopped fresh rosemary
Directions
1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins or cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.
2. Pour the batter into two 8”x4” (20cmx10cm) loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
3. The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Slice so thin that they are almost lacy.
4. Reduce the oven heat to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. You can also cut in half before the second baking. This is the way I like them. The size works better. Be careful not to burn.
Storage and Freezing Instructions/Tips: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Prolong the freshness by freezing for up to 3 months.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
55 Comments | Add your own
These look like wonderfully flavored crackers! I can never resist crunchy food
.
Those look wonderful! A speciality I have never made. I bet those cracker go well with cheese and chutney.
Cheers,
Ros
These crackers are simply gorgeous Lorraine! I remember seeing the package of raincoast crisps at my brother’s cottage a few years ago at their little grocery store. I was enamored by the packaging, so simple and yet so classy. So I doled out the $9.00 (which is absurd in our parts) for the crackers. They were delicious. I am so glad to have come across your recipe.
My JT made me dinner, he bought Sushi Grade Tuna and gently seared it, then he rolled it in toasted sesame seeds and served it over a traditional Niçoisse Salad. We did not exchange gifts, we were going to, but never got around to it. That’s what being married 27 years does. Oh well, there is always our anniversary in May!
I celebrated Valentine’s Day with a concussion.
Though I’d almost prefer that to a Wagon Wheel. Haven’t those always been horrific?
They look delicious, Lorraine!
This is a great bread and you have sliced is so well. I love how it has nuts and dried fruits in it and it would be perfect with that room-temperature Brie xx
Awww…what a sweet Valentine.
The crisps look crisp and delicious!
We don’t. Do anything on Valentine’s Day that is. Kind of weird….we just don’t seem to get into the enthu of it. Though he did take the family out to a very popular Hibachi joint.
These look brilliant! What a clever idea. I’ve never even heard of anything like this, but I can imagine how delicious it would be with an oozy rich cheese.
I did halve this recipe – I wouldn’t know what to do with 88 crackers. I liked them though. V Day was just another day – although I got chocolates the next day.
The crisps sound like they would go beautifully with an elegant picnic, with lots of lovely cheese and dips. I think you’re right that plain crackers work better with Pate Lorraine.
Valentines day fell on BigJ’s cooking night, so he was in charge. He surprised me by actually booking a restaurant- but I think he just wanted to get out of cooking a meal 
I hope MrNQN is feeling better? I think his lolly offering is sweet indeed
Great crispy crackers, I bet they were delicious. Mr Glam usually organises valentines day and does a really good job. GG
Lovely idea. Thank you. These would work as a morning snack on their own accompanied by a cup of green tea.
Valentines was in a quiet park by the bay with a tasting platter and French champagne.
Oh, what a great recipe – and similar to biscotti with the twice-baked thingy going on. I can’t wait to try this one.
This looks fantastic! Look how neat and even your slices are?? Great post
Lorraine, love your crisps! Perfect timing as well: I am making my own today!
Valentine? It’s not our holiday (I mean it came to our culture just recently and we don’t celebrate it). However, this year it was memorable: we were in Seattle that day. My husband had an interview in downtown, and I had to drive there to have lunch with him. I was on time just to find out that parking is a big problem, and it took me a whole hour to find a spot, for which we ended up paying $30 for 3 hours! Crazy! 
I made a loaf of multigrain a few months ago and for some reason it didn’t rise. Instead of throwing it out I sliced it up like this, sprinkled with salt and olive oil and baked them into biscuits. So delicious!
Do you think you could sub in whole wheat flour and have a good result?
When you have kids Valentine’s are out of scope, I mean, who have time to think about it when we have kids on vacation???
By the way, I like your toasts, I like all that have seeds and nuts, but I think I like more the bread
Your crisps look fantastic, TRUE!
I love a good biscotti too!
Nothing like sharing with friends over a coffee or tea!
This looks to be a delightful recipe!
We celebrate Valentine’s Day every day!
Appreciate every moment in life in our own special way!
These crackers look great and I can’t wait to try the recipe. One question – what is your secret to successful slicing. Special knife or lots of practice? I need to know!
Hi Glenda! I used my big Shun chef’s knife and I sliced it carefully. It’s probably the knife over my skills though!
Wow, so almost like a cake that becomes biscotti. How interesting that it’s baked that way. The results speak for themselves, too. These look addicting, what with all that crunch and just a tad of sweetness. You could sell these at a farmers market and make a fortune.
I love these healthy, nutty snacks!
Hi Lorraine, hubby and I dont really celebrate Valentine’s Day anymore. But he still gets me useful kitchen gadgets which I prefer over a bunch of flowers anyday. Hehe!
Those sound delectable!
We kept it nice and simple. But my goodness, these crackers look just gorgeous. Thank you for sharing them with me!
Great recipe! I was just talking to another mother about baking crackers at home. I thought it would be too difficult, but these sound tasty and manageable!
Awww, these crackers would go great with some cheese!
Haha Marty and I the same – he assumes that I will organise something for V-Day because I usually organise everything else while I’d be the wishing that HE did the planning. Last year, I got him a gift while he got me nothing. This year, I got him nothing while he gave me a gift. Oops.
Simple but delicious and very good snack
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
These remind me of biscotti! Well we both sort of planned it. I found the dinner place and he booked the hotel- after I researched it (although he was researching also). He paid for it all though
Lucky me! I also bought him some choccies, a card and a shirt to wear out.
That was V Day weekend not V day though.
You know, Lorraine, I actually misread this recipe on the challenge and thought they were “raincoat” crips. I couldn’t for the life of me figure why they were called so! I didn’t end up making them but I did mean to – fruitless, I think. Yours looks fabulous! Valentine’s Day, hmmmm, don’t recall much. We had just had pancake day then Ash Wednesday, the start of lent – just too much happening!
These crackers are simply gorgeous Lorraine! I was really tempted to give them a try but ran out of time. I think now I must! maybe over the weekend
What a gorgeous image Lorraine, your photos and styling are always so perfect!!
I think Mr GG might be the romantic one in our family
Will make those crisps they look so morish!
We celebrate our wedding anniversary on Valentines day,so my husband of 43 yrs!! always plans something. This year we had a degustation dinner at an oldie but goodie La Champagne at Broadbeach Qld.
Also three days of food tasting in the area.
Then back to the sleepy seaside village where we live.
Guess we will do it all again next year, that is if gourmet doesnt get grumpy!!!
ooh yum yum yum! Def making that! I can already taste it with a cup of coffee hhmmm!
I’ve been making a olive and hazelnut adaptation of these for a couple of years and they are very popular with my customers at the farmers market. They claim they’re addictive!
I make something nice and simple for Valentine’s dinner–this year bangers and mash because they are W’s fav dinner and homemade ice cream. He brings the champagne!
Hi Lorraine, we always have Valentines dinner at home as we both don’t like the atmosphere at restaurants on Valentines Day. This year was our 10th Valentines together, unfortunately hubby was interstate for work so I was home alone. He did surprise me with some lovely flowers though. I love your little stories at the start of each post, I’m like you I’m always happy to receive a little chocolate. This recipe looks lovely, I have to say your slicing is so neat! I’m banned from slicing the bread in our place as I can’t slice straight!
Hi Stefanie! The atmosphere is exactly why we don’t really go out that night but we will do something the night after or that weekend to make up for it. That’s great that you got flowers! And hehe I’m usually not quite so neat, I promise
Ooooh my favourite kind of snack.
I know what I want for dinner tomorrow night now!
We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. Don’t have anything against it, just not in the habit of celebrating. Maybe next year we will.
Lovely looking crackers with pâté, yummo. Would love to make this soon. Hubby and I didn’t do anything for Vday as we’re too tired and time poor with these triplet babies:-)
After being married for so many years we would rather watch movie on our couch and eat some comfort food
Even tho i love V-Day,we dont plan it, but we do give each other some sweet treats! anyhow, your crackers look fantastic, I wouldn’t mind having them right now with my coffee!
These look like tasty biscotti. We went out for dinner on Valentines
I bet the cheese was just the perfect complement to these crackers:) YUM! My husband and I spent Valentine’s Day on an airplane to visit our daughter(and family)!
These are very cool, sort of like seedy biscotti. I love things like that with cheese and honey, one of my favorite snacks. You did mighty well by the challenge.
Awww poor Mr NQN being sick and working late on Valentines Day
but I guess it doesn’t matter as long as you’re together and appreciate each other, it may as well be Valentine’s Day everyday 
Usually Mr Bao is the one that organises where we go for dinner and gets me a present. But unfortunately, this year I was really sick as well with an infection which gave me a fever. But Mr Bao did really well giving me flowers and made me hand made chocolate truffles YAY!
Ohhh these crisps remind me of biscotti
And how did you manage to slice is so thinly without tearing it!
Great job making perfect, thin slices. Sounds like I should have made this recipe for the challenge. I have to do the Valentine’s planning but hubs is pretty good at remembering gifts. I received chocolate aand roses. xoxo Mum
The pictures are so good that I want a taste right now! Great job. Thank you for participating in this challenge.
your crispbreads look great – I can’t say that we are very good at celebrating Valentines Day – it is just an excuse for me to bake chocolate stuff unless I am too busy as was the cake this year!
those are FULL of good stuff! nice approach to the challenge, lorraine.
that sounds like a savoury version of biscotti!!! yumm!
Waw, Lorraine! What a fabulous tasty creation!
These crisps look amazing, rich & tasty too!
A must make!
Such a pretty idea – I love it! Like savoury biscotti. I’m sure they’re very nutritious too, with all the seeds and nuts.
This looks beautiful! I really need to try making pate soon, it’s one of my boyfriend’s favourite things but I’m just so lazy haha
I would like those crackers with the cheese. That and champagne, some chocolate I might be happy. As far as Valentine’s day, we start early. We went for crepes for lunch and then out to new place for dinner. We’ve done parties before, but decided that a “no work” no cook and no dishes day was what we deserved.
Post a Comment