A SLICE OF CHEESE RECIPES

Steps:

• Grate 6 oz. cheddar on the medium holes of a box grater, letting shreds fall into a medium bowl.
• Slice a small handful of chives very thinly and add to bowl with cheese. Add 1¼ cups flour, 1½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. sugar, and a pinch of cayenne. Toss mixture with your hands until cheese is coated in flour and ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Cut 6 oz. cream cheese into ½" pieces and add to bowl with flour mixture. Using your hands, quickly smash pieces into flour. Work until cream cheese disappears into flour and only a few dry spots remain.
• Knead dough in bowl 2–3 times to bring it together. Transfer dough to a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag. Seal bag, pressing out air.
• Press dough to bottom of bag, forcing it into the crease with the back of a knife so you have a tight log that spans width of bag. Roll log over work surface a couple of times to smooth sides into an evenly round shape.
• Freeze dough until very firm but not yet frozen, 15–20 minutes. Meanwhile, place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut open bag with your knife. Take out dough. Carefully sprinkle 3 Tbsp. poppy seeds across work surface (do this gently so they don’t fly everywhere). Roll dough over poppy seeds, pressing into dough, until log is completely and evenly coated. Discard any poppy seeds that don’t stick.
• Quickly and confidently slice dough into thin rounds with a sharp knife, aiming for even slices between ¼"–?". Rotate log every few slices to keep bottom side from flattening out. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1" apart (crackers won’t spread as they bake).
• Bake crackers, rotating sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until tops and edges are golden, 25–30 minutes. Crackers will crisp as they cool, so let cool completely on baking sheet.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, hot pepper sauce and salt. Stir in pecans and cranberries. , On a 12-in. square of aluminum foil, place two slices of cheese side by side; spread with 2-3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers six times. Top with two cheese slices. (Save remaining cheese slices for another use.), Fold foil around cheese and seal tightly. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cut in half lengthwise and then widthwise into 1/4-in. slices. Serve with crackers.