Graham crackers developed out of the country's first big food fad, an early-nineteenth-century movement that rejected the pleasures of the palate as sinful. From that Puritanical perch, our crisp, homey, honey-sweetened cookies are woefully unregenerate.
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN 2½-INCH GRAHAM CRACKER
| 1 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 1 | cup whole-wheat flour |
| ¼ | cup sugar |
| 1 | teaspoon baking powder |
| ½ | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| ¼ | teaspoon salt |
| 3 | tablespoons vegetable shortening, well chilled |
| 3 | tablespoons butter, well chilled |
| ¼ | cup honey |
| 3 | tablespoons ice water |
| 1 | teaspoon pure vanilla extract |
Grease a 14-by-16-inch baking sheet, preferably one without sides. (You'll be rolling the dough out on the sheet later.)
In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the shortening and butter and pulse to combine them, making a crumbly meal. Spoon in the honey, water, and vanilla extract and process again until just combined. Scrape the dough, still a little crumbly and ragged, out onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll the dough out into a ½-inch-thick rectangle, which should come just short of filling the entire baking sheet. Refrigerate the baking sheet and dough uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F, arranging one of its racks directly in its center.
With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut any uneven edges off of the dough, leaving a small border of the baking sheet exposed. Cutting only about halfway through the dough, slice it into squares of about 2½ inches, the size of store-bought graham crackers. Bake the crackers while the dough and cookie sheet are still cold for about 12 to 14 minutes, turning the pan around the other direction about halfway through the baking time. The crackers are ready when lightly browned. (They'll still be a little soft and flexible.)
While warm, cut the crackers apart along the previous lines and let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 or 3 minutes, until they firm up and become crisp. Transfer them carefully from the baking sheet to a rack to cool completely. The crackers can be used immediately, kept covered for up to a week, or frozen for several weeks.
TECHNIQUE TIP: When you're rolling out the graham cracker dough, if you find the baking sheet trying to scoot away from you, put a dish towel between the sheet and the counter to anchor your workstation.
It sounds like fun, sort of praying by eating, but you might reconsider if your guide to the pearly path turns out to be the Reverend Sylvester Graham. One of a flock of crackpots and visionaries who sought to shape the American soul in the early to mid-nineteenth century, the former Presbyterian preacher crusaded around the country on behalf of a no-nonsense, ascetic approach to food and drink.
Alcohol was evil, of course, and so were any victuals "compounded and complicated by culinary processes." Graham advocated eating raw fruits and vegetables, not out of contemporary vegetarian concerns, but because God presented them whole and uncooked and we shouldn't tamper with His bounty. Meat was double trouble, carrying the stigma of the stove as well as a base tendency to excite sexual excess. According to Waverly Root and Richard de Rochemont in Eating in America (Ecco Press, 1981), the reverend also rejected any seasoning that improved the taste of food, since that reeked of sensuality, and believed that strong condiments like mustard could cause insanity.
In one of those inscrutable ironies of history, Graham's name survived long after his missionary efforts because of a cracker. One of his primary passions was unsifted, coarsely ground, bran-in wheat flour, which he promoted for all home baking. He knew nothing about the nutritional benefits of whole wheat, and certainly didn't care about enhanced flavor, but he believed the Creator wouldn't have put the bran in the wheat kernel unless He wanted us to eat it.
Graham railed so strongly against refined white flour that bakers mobbed him once in Boston, and eventually he gained such an association with his holy flour that it became known by his name for the rest of the nineteenth century. When the National Biscuit Company began marketing its Graham Crackers decades later, everyone instantly understood the content, even if they had no idea by that time who or what a Graham was. With his moniker now enshrined, the Girl Scouts then committed the ultimate sacrilege on his memory, turning the cracker into an indulgent morsel that made eaters cry out for "some more."
Truth be told, some of our friends look at us like hayseeds when we serve s'mores for dessert. They devour them like we're offering aphrodisiacs, but then joke about the regressive nature of our "edible complex." So usually we have to act more adult and prepare something that seems au courant, even if it's equally decadent.
Our choice then is generally fruit. Warming fruit over the grill caramelizes sugar on the surface, softens texture, and releases sweet juices, producing a toasty, natural wrap-up for a meal. With the addition of complementary flavors—such as brown sugar, honey, ginger, and cinnamon—you can elaborate the dimensions into a full-fledged dessert. For a total extravagance, all you're lacking is the ice cream.
We've designed our fruit desserts in this chapter so that most—and often all—of the prep work can be done prior to dinner, leaving just the final cooking until the end. If you're grilling other parts of the meal as well, think through your strategy in advance. With a gas grill, it's easy enough to shut down after the main course and then fire up again when you're ready for dessert. When you're cooking with charcoal, try to time your dinner to keep the fire hot enough for a second round of cooking. As you serve the entrée, cover the grill, shut the vents almost completely to reduce air circulation, and plan to open up again for dessert within 30 minutes, before the coals get too cool. We generally suggest warming fruit on medium heat, but since doneness isn't an issue, a lower fire works fine over a slightly longer cooking time. As long as sauces and toppings are the right temperature, it's hard to fail with a fruit dessert.