Ingredients
2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds (or a combination)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons/150 grams all-purpose flour
2/3 cup/70 grams finely grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons/80 grams unsalted butter, cold and diced
2 tablespoons chile crisp (with as little oil as possible; see Tip), store-bought or homemade
1 large egg yolk
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup/40 grams thinly sliced scallions (from 2 to 4 scallions)
Directions
1
Place the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and set aside.
2
Place the flour, Parmesan, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture is crumbly, then add the chile crisp, egg yolk and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand, then tip it into a large bowl and add the scallions. Stir to incorporate, then knead gently to form a ball.
3
On a clean work surface, roll the dough into a log that’s about 10 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Place the log on the sheet with the sesame seeds, then roll the log until it is covered in the seeds. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Don’t worry if the dough is slightly soft and misshapen for now.
4
After the stint in the fridge, remove the dough and, without removing the plastic wrap, roll it into a more even log, then refrigerate until firm — about 45 minutes (or up to 3 days).
5
When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
6
Slice the log into coins that are 1/3 inch thick and place them 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet. If they break, just smoosh them back together. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. The bottoms of the crackers will be a deeper reddish-brown from the chile oil as well as the direct contact with the heat of the sheet — this is as it should be.
7
The crackers are soft when warm, but will crisp up when they cool down.
Notes
Use your favorite brand of chile crisp, such as Lao Gan Ma, or make your own homemade version. Too much oil will make the dough soft and waxy, so leave as much of the oil in the jar as possible.
The crackers can be eaten on the day they are baked but are at their best a day or two after, when they’ve dried out a little and the flavors have had time to meld together. They will keep, loosely wrapped in foil, for up to 5 days.