Rumex Crisps: Dock Seed Crackers

The latin name for curly dock, a wild plant with edible leaves and seeds, is Rumex crispus (see previous post for foraging/harvesting info). Thus, when I decided to use the toasted seeds in a cracker, the name was obvious. Let's be honest - I made these crackers specifically because I came up with the name Rumex crisps. I'm a sucker for wordplay. On the plus side, the seeds paired beautifully with the rye flour for a delicious, crispy, nutty-tart cracker that is great alongside rich creamy cheeses and sweet dried apricots (or other fruit). The below recipe makes about 36 2-inch crackers, depending on how thinly you roll out the dough.

Toasted vs. raw dock seeds.

• 1/2 cup toasted dock seeds

• 3/4 - 1 cup rye flour

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, plus more for brushing

• 1/2 tablespoon honey

• 1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, blend together dock seeds, 3/4 cup rye flour, and salt. Stir in grapeseed oil, honey, and water until incorporated. Add more rye flour as needed so dough is no longer sticky, but still moist.

Divide dough in half and roll out thinly on a floured surface (not paper-thin, but "cracker-thin"). Don't stress too much about the thickness - if the crackers are thicker, they'll just take a bit longer to cook.

Cut crackers into any shape that you like, such as squares, diamonds, or strips, and place them on a baking sheet. Crackers can be close together, as they hold their shape as they cook. Gather dough scraps, re-roll, and cut as needed. Repeat with remaining dough half. 

Brush crackers lightly with grapeseed oil (or rub with fingers), sprinkle with a little more salt, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Store in an airtight container and enjoy for up to 2 weeks. If you live in a humid environment, crackers can be re-toasted in the oven.

A diamond-shaped Rumex crisp with a creamy sheepsmilk cheese and vetch tip flower.

Bay Nut Ricotta Cake

Cake in foreground, my brother’s art in background.

Here’s the deal: everyone likes coffee and chocolate. Okay, so that may not be entirely true, but who are we kidding? I probably don’t want to associate with those individuals anyway.

For those of us with *good* taste, the knowledge that there is a wild edible commonly found on the West Coast (the bay nut - more including foraging info here) that, when roasted, produces a flavor that can be likened to a combination of coffee and (bitter) chocolate is mind blowing. Now think about taking that amazing ingredient and adding it to a ricotta cheesecake - not bad. This brings us to the bay nut ricotta cake (which is really more of a tart, but using cake since a ricotta cake might be more familiar to some…) 

“A graham cracker crust also works, but doesn’t have the same rustic qualities as buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is also gluten free - make the dessert gluten free by replacing the all purpose flour with a gluten free substitute. An entirely buckwheat crust can work, but is a little too crumbly. ”

Crust Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons ground bay nuts (medium grind, as you would for french press coffee). You can use a coffee or spice grinder or chop with a knife.

• 1 cup buckwheat or other flour of choice (can use all -purpose, but crust won’t be as dark)

• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (to help bind - if you want the cake to be gluten free, use another gluten free flour mix)

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1-2 tablespoons cold milk or water

Filling Ingredients

• 16 ounces ricotta cheese

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup roasted bay nuts, ground (medium grind, as you would for french press coffee). You can use a coffee or spice grinder or chop with a knife. Coarsely ground also works for more definition/larger chunks.

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 2 teaspoons juice from an orange (optional)

• 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

Topping Ingredients

• 8 oz. sour cream

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a springform pan.

For crust: Mix 3 tablespoons bay nuts, flours, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender, fork, or fingers and mix until pea-sized crumbs. Add water or milk until dough comes together when pressed, but is not too wet. Press into greased 9” springform pan and bake for 12-15 minutes until firm and lightly browned on edges. Remove from oven and cool completely.

For filling: Whisk filling ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Pour onto cooled shell, bake in oven for about 35-50 minutes, until cake is set and jiggles only slightly. You make need to cover with foil if the crust edges become too brown. 

For topping/final step: Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 minutes while you mix together the topping ingredients. Spread out topping mixture and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove and cool until served.

Crust me! I like to smash the crust up higher than the filling will be for a more dramatic rustic look.