Radish Butter With Nutty Fruit Crackers

Rosie Daykin, Vancouver-based interior designer, food writer and bakery owner, takes a classic combination to the next level in her new cookbook. “Radishes and butter are a match made in heaven but are usually served side by side, with a little bowl of sea salt for sprinkling,” Daykin explains in The Side Gardener: Recipes & Notes from My Garden. “I decided to streamline the process by combining all the same elements into a delicious and fluffy radish butter. Made even more delicious when spread across a fruit cracker. Just keep sowing your radish seeds throughout the summer so you have a continuous supply.”

Radish Butter With Nutty Fruit Crackers

Rosie Daykin's recipe for nutty homemade fruit crackers served with salted radish butter.

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Course Hors d'oeuvres, Snack

Ingredients

  

Nutty Fruit Crackers (makes 36)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup dried cherries
• ¼ cup roughly chopped hazelnuts
• ¼ cup roughly chopped pistachios
• ¼ cup roughly chopped dried apricots
• ¼ cup roughly chopped dried figs
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp butter melted

Radish Butter (makes about 2 cups)

• 2 cups (230 g) fresh radishes washed, dried and finely grated (see note #1)
• 1 cup (227 g) "European style” unsalted butter see note #2
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1½ tsp sea salt plus more for sprinkling

Instructions

 

Nutty Fruit Crackers

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter an 8 in (20 cm) loaf pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt with the raisins, dried cherries, hazelnuts, pistachios, apricots, figs and rosemary. Stir to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine. The dough is quite dry, so I find it best to use my hands for the final mixing to make it all come together nicely.
• Press the dough evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Remove the loaf from the oven and set aside until just cool enough to be removed from the pan. Allow the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. I will often prepare the crackers to this point the night before and then cut and bake them again the next day. I find it much easier to slice the loaf thinly once it has sat for a bit.
• Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each cracker very thinly and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the face-up side of each cracker with the melted butter.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a lovely golden brown.
• You can store the cooled crackers in an airtight container for at least one week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Radish Butter

• Heap the grated radish in the middle of a double layer of cheesecloth. Twist the top closed and give the bundle a good squeeze to remove any excess liquid. Repeat this several times until the radish is very dry.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Add the grated radish and salt and mix to combine.
• Place the radish butter in a large ramekin or small serving dish. Smooth over the top and sprinkle with a little more sea salt. The butter will keep in the refrigerator for several days, but do allow it to warm slightly before serving to make it easier for spreading on crackers.

Notes

1. When grating the radishes, I like to use my food processor to save time and my knuckles as grating small things can be a little risky.

2. “European” butter has a higher fat content than standard butter and is creamier and richer in flavour. This recipe will work just fine with regular butter, but if you’re using a salted butter just omit the sea salt.

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Rhubarb Panna Cotta

Rosie Daykin's recipe for rhubarb panna cotta topped with a graham cracker crumble.

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Excerpted from The Side Gardener by Rosie Daykin. Copyright © 2024 Rosie Daykin. Photographs by Andrew Montgomery. Published by Appetite an imprint of Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.