Studies show that crunching something decreases stress, and these pack a powerful crunch- so if you’re stressed out, this is clearly what you need! :) (that and someone cozy to cuddle with and reassure you that the world is, whether or not you’ll believe him or her, not ending) I had some leftover tart dough when making a margherita pizza and had picked what was sure to become too much rosemary for its topping, and thought, well, maybe instead of a free-form tart with the leftover dough I’m going to make some twists!
The process was incredibly simple and the result was crunchily delicious. The sister was particularly fond of these. And the lovely friend we had over for dinner- K- seemed to enjoy them as well. Try these out! They’re really quick, and once you’ve got the hang of them, you can go through the lot of them rather quickly with the rolling, twisting, brushing, and so on and so on.
Rosemary Parmesan Twists
Dough Recipe Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups organic AP flour (I used King Arthur)
- 8 tblspn (1 stick) soy butter, chilled, cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg (brown, cage-free, organic)
- 2.5 tablespoons cold water
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons freshly-grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon large-grain sea salt
Process:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the soy butter and mix until the butter is fully dispersed into the flour and comes to a crumbly texture
- Mix the egg with the water in a small bowl, beating thoroughly until the mixture has a light yellow colour.
- Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour mixture and mix in to where everything holds together into a dough ball.
- Flour a work surface, flour your rolling pin, and place the dough ball onto the middle of your work surface. Roll it out and keep dusting it with flour, until there is no stickiness to the dough. Then, cut off small balls approximately 1/2-inch in diameter.
- Take one of the small balls and roll it out to where it is one long strip. Place a few rosemary pieces onto the dough, and roll it into a long, narrow string.
- Repeat this with a second ball, then place the two together and twist. Press lightly upon the ends so that they stay together, then place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat.
- Repeat this process until you have completed all your twists. Then, lightly brush the twists with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle the sea salt on top.
- Place in oven for 8 minutes. Then take out the baking sheet and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Then place back in oven for another 3-5 minutes, until the twists are golden brown and the cheese looks crunchy.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes, then place in a basket lined with parchment paper or a napkin… and enjoy!
Nowyou may be thinking, Odile, that’s silly to be rolling it out so much, it’ll toughen the dough. That’s right, and it’s purposeful, it is! The tougher the dough, the crunchier these twists will become. For once, you want to overwork it to the point where it’s going to have the most satisfying “CHH!!!” sound you’ve ever heard when you bite into it. Yum. Mmh. You could substitute the rosemary for thyme or the fresh herb of your choice- though I really do think the rosemary’s nicest.
