Are you ready to take your love of salty snacks to the next level? Salty Snacks: Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips, and Other Savory Bites by Cynthia Nims (Ten Speed Press) includes seventy-five recipes for salty (and healthful!) snacks from potato chips to duck jerky to chickpea cake. Below are the recipes for the delicious-looking bacon-chive bread with goat cheese and kale chips with lemon and ginger. Give them a try and let us know what you think!
Bacon-Chive Bread with Goat Cheese
Makes 12 to 16 servings
6 slices thick-cut bacon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or flaky or coarse
sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11/2 cups (about 6 ounces) finely crumbled fresh plain goat cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon slices and cook, turning the slices over every couple of minutes, until nicely browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain and cool. When cooled, crumble or cut the bacon into small pieces; set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and stir well to mix.
Combine 11/4 cups of the goat cheese and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add one of the eggs and beat until fully incorporated, then beat in the second egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the dry ingredients with the mixer at low speed, alternating with the milk. Take the bowl from the stand and stir in the bacon and chives by hand, just until incorporated. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of goat cheese over the top.
Bake until the top is lightly browned and the bread pulls away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan, then turn the bread out onto the rack to cool completely, inverting the bread so that the goat cheese topping is upright.
Cut the cooled bread into 12 to 16 wedges, arrange on a platter or large plate, and serve. The bread will keep for 1 day, well wrapped in foil.
Kale Chips with Lemon and Ginger
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 bunch (about 7 ounces) kale, rinsed and well dried
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or flaky or coarse
sea salt
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set 2 oven racks at the centermost positions.
Trim the tough stems from the kale leaves. Cut larger leaves crosswise into 3- to 4-inch portions; smaller leaves can be baked as is. Put the kale in a large bowl, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the leaves, and toss well with your hands to evenly coat the leaves with oil. The curlier them, the more you’ll want to use your fingers to rub a bit of oil into the nooks and crannies. Just a light gloss of oil is the goal; drizzle another teaspoon or two over if needed, but avoid excessive oil. Arrange the kale pieces on the prepared baking sheets, the leaves touching each other as little as possible.
Combine the lemon zest, ginger, and salt in a small bowl and use your fingers to rub the ingredients together well. (Be sure to do this at the last minute.) Sprinkle the salt mixture over the kale leaves.
Bake for 10 minutes. Switch the baking sheets and continue baking until the leaves are dry and rigid but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes longer. If some leaves at the outer edges of the baking sheets are ready earlier, transfer them to a wire rack and continue baking the remaining leaves for a few minutes.
Use a metal spatula to transfer the leaves to a wire rack to cool. Serve on a platter or in a broad shallow bowl. The kale chips are best on the day they are made but can be stored for up to 1 day in an airtight container.
Reprinted with permission from Salty Snacks: Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips, and Other Savory Bites by Cynthia Nims, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. Photo Credit: Jennifer Martiné
