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This past week I have spent a generous amount of my free time in the kitchen and I ain't mad about it. I flew up to San Francisco last Friday with my boyfriend to visit my dear friends K&C who recently moved and we enjoyed a lovely dinner at home together on Sunday night. The evening began with a trip to a really cute local market called Oceana in Pacifica where we gathered ingredients and snapchatted away about some superfood ice cream we discovered (username: CaraCarin). Immediately after getting home we got to work, Christina on the crackers and me on a pear chutney. It was just like old times and I couldn't help but feel nostaligic as we laughed and sipped on red wine together in the kitchen again.
I wouldn't consider myself a cracker person, but these were so damn good I made creating a vegan version the first item to tackle on my list of to-dos once I returned home (the original recipe uses eggs). Leave it to the good fellas at Bob's Red Mill to create a vegan egg replacer that worked seamless into this recipe, resulting in literally the exact same consistency and taste as the original providing the perfect vehicle to transfer fig tapenade into your mouth. And trust me these pair so well together it gives peanut butter and jelly a run for their money. Insert a glass of Cabernet and I may as well have gone to girls night heaven.
Now the fig tapenade is literally what dreams are made of assuming you like the combo of salty and sweet. The savory olives mixed with nectorous dried figs makes this an iteration on tapenade that trumps all other tapenades. Yes, a bold statement but olive-based tapenades with vinegar are ubiquitous in Italian cuisine so as an Italian I have had my fair share over the years and this is hands down my favorite.
I served these along side a wheel of Treeline vegan cheese because why not!?
These crackers are
crunchy, salty, savory, filling, aromatic, and delicious.
This fig tapenade is
sweet, salty, sour, crunchy, chunky and the bomb.
Hello perfect appetizer for every holiday dinner party you are attending or hosting.
Ingredients
For the Crackers
3 1/2 Cups blanched almond flour
1 Teaspoon pink salt
4 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 vegan eggs, i used Bobs Red Mill Egg Replacer
For the Fig Tapenade
2 Cups dried figs, chopped
2/3 Cups water
2/3 Cups olives, pitted and chopped. I used a mix of black and green kalamata
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 Cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions
For the Crackers:
In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and rosemary. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg
Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until well combined
Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness
Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut the dough into approx. 2 inch crackers.
Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden
Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve or store in an air tight container for up to a week.
For the Fig Tapenade
Combine chopped figs and the water in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until liquid evaporates and figs are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
Transfer to medium bowl. Mix in olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chopped thyme.
Season with pink salt and pepper to taste.
Stir chopped walnuts into tapenade just before serving.
Garnish with walnut halves and thyme sprigs, if desired.
Serve with crackers.