5 Easy Steps
Blue Cheese Crackers With Pear Compote
Or, as this should really be titled, How to Stop Whining About Writer’s Block and Make The Damn Thing Already.
Yes, it’s true. Lately I’ve been living inside a glass case of emotion. The inside of my head has felt like a Mason jar full of summertime fireflies- occasionally a light will go off, or maybe two, but it’s never cohesive, and only when least expected. I’ve had random thoughts rolling around in here for over a week now, and occasionally one will bang into another, but it never to a point of actually feeling the urge to sit down and type it out. Don’t ask me why. It’s driving me insane. And a girl can only do so many household chores to keep her hands busy without feeling like she’s losing her mind.
I practically had to force myself into the kitchen this weekend. I know! The kitchen! But for whatever reason, I felt no urges other than to pick up the phone and dial take out. Or, if I’m being completely honest, I really just felt like ordering takeout from my computer, which is even lazier than calling. Not in the mood to call the takeout place. Sometimes first world problems really just get you down.
Anyway, I’ve found a way to get myself out of a rut. To shove my brain back out from its mindless, marble rolling and firefly blinking escapades. It goes a little something like this:
Crush blue cheese. Mix it with butter. Add a lot of flour. And some olive oil and pepper.
Knead that sucker into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill.
I mean chill the dough, not you. You can’t chill yet. You’ve still got compote to make.
Take that pear that you should have thrown out last week, and gingerly peel it. It’s mushy. That’s good. Core it and dice it.
Sprinkle everything liberally with salt. Even the ugly, deformed looking crackers.
Bake.
Spread that compote. Eat. Repeat.
Sit down and write, for the love of god, and get over yourself.
Done.
How to make cracker barrel meatloaf recipe ?
Blue Cheese Crackers with Pear Compote Recipe
Ingredients
lbue cheese crackers:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ? cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 ¼ cup white all-purpose flour
pear compote:
- 1 large pear, peeled, cored and diced (Bartlett or Bosc work great)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Instructions
To make the crackers:
- Using a fork or a sturdy whisk, blend together the butter, blue cheese, olive oil, sea salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Add the flour, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Don’t overmix. the dough is ready when it is not sticky but smooth, and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle your workspace liberally with flour. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Roll out the cracker dough to the desired thickness (about 1 ½ centimeters, or two quarters thick, works best for me) Cut out the crackers in your desired shape. I find that the perfect circle shape comes from the outside foil part of a tealight candle, washed clean. A small cookie cutter works perfectly as well.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the crackers have started to brown. Remove and let cool.Will keep, tightly covered, for two weeks. Store in a cool, dry place.
to make the compote:
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the diced pear and the sugar and stir to combine. Cook, breaking up the pear as you go, until everything has cooked together and no lumps remain- about 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Will keep, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to two weeks.
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