Floor Sumac

(Tailored from the Sumac chapter of Forage, Harvest, Feast—A Wild-Impressed Delicacies.)

For reference,  2½ ounces (about ½ cup) of dried sumac drupes will create 3 tablespoons of floor sumac. Most recipes will name for a minimum of 1 tablespoon.

To dry sumac, you’ll be able to both go away your clusters complete, or decide off all of the contemporary, ripe drupes from the clusters. After years of accumulating, I now favor the previous methodology: It’s simpler, and fewer valuable juice is wasted in your fingers. Both approach, unfold the fruit out on a parchment-lined floor and miss at room temperature till dry (from 3 to 7 days, if the humidity is low).

Switch the dried drupes in batches to a spice grinder and grind for a couple of seconds. While you discover the pale seeds revealed, take a look at by sifting some by way of a single-mesh strainer (double mesh is just too high-quality). If the bitter pericarp is sifting by way of, abandoning the laborious flavorless seed,  you’re good to go. Whether it is nonetheless too cumbersome, grind some extra. Sift in batches, returning the leftover items to the grinder and sifting once more.

(If a few of the seeds have been chewed up extra finely by the grinder and sift by way of, they received’t damage you—they’re simply tasteless.)

As soon as the sumac has all been sifted, switch to small, hermetic containers. Preserve one for instant use and freeze any additional.

Buttery Sumac Shortbread Crackers

Makes about 40 crackers

These crackers are of the melt-in-the-mouth selection. Embrace the butter. (They advanced at some point from the pastry trimmings left over after making mushroom hand pies.)

• 4 oz plus 3 Tablespoons butter, very chilly
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 oz all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the rolling floor
• 3 Tablespoons Half and Half
• 1 Tablespoon floor sumac
• 1 Tablespoons dried mugwort flowers (non-obligatory)

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl*. Utilizing the coarse aspect of field grater, grate the chilly butter into the flour (no grater? Reduce it into small cubes). Toss some flour into the butter-mound to assist forestall clumping, after which work the butter and flour between your fingertips till the combination resembles evenly coarse sand. Pour within the Half and Half and work with a wood spoon a couple of instances. Carry the pastry collectively along with your fingers, taking care to make use of as few motions as attainable.  (All of this may be performed in a meals processor, too; simply don’t overwork it, or the crackers develop into powerful.)

Type the pastry right into a fats disc. Wrap it and chill till strong (a minimum of an hour and so long as 24), or freeze for later use.

Preheat the oven to 375’F.

Mud a clear floor with flour and roll out one pastry disc to about 1/8-inch. Sprinkle half the sumac and half the non-obligatory mugwort throughout the floor and move the rolling over the pastry two extra instances to press within the seasoning/s.

Utilizing a wheeled pastry cutter or a knife reduce the pastry into ribbons about 2 inches extensive. Reduce throughout these ribbons to make the brief aspect round 1.5 inches (or go wild and make any dimension you want!). It’s also possible to press out particular person crackers, utilizing a cookie cutter, however it’s extra time-consuming and creates extra trimmings. Switch the reduce crackers to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes.

Slide the chilled crackers into the recent oven and bake for about quarter-hour, eradicating the tray the minute the sides of the crackers flip deep golden. Instantly, sprinkle the remaining sumac and mugwort, if utilizing, over the recent crackers. Cool on wire racks.

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