Summer Harvest
The Doctor has been quiet for some time, busy with travel and food shows and even taking a vacation from our Texas heat. The only downside to a vacation, I find, is that no one tends the garden and its individual plants as well as the gardener. And when, during the gardener’s vacation, the temperatures crest 100 and there is no rain—well. Let’s just say the Doctor’s chard will need to be replanted when the temperature breaks!
Speaking of planting and replanting, there are some new flavors to announce in the Dr. Kracker family, and current flavors we are going to say goodbye to. That’s never easy to do, so let’s start there.
As much as I (and many others) love our Krispy Grahams, we are having to discontinue them. I know that the market for a healthy graham cracker is there, however, our packaging was not good enough to tell the story in a way that effectively enticed new customers, and even worse, the box was problematic to pack. And I’m afraid that’s what it all boils down to: our packers have just become too busy to deal with a difficult-to-pack product that is, unfortunately, a slow seller.
But on the bright side, which is the side the Doctor prefers to any other, we are already at work on new Graham that will be topped with oats and dried apples. We’re very excited about it, as we are about some other new flavors that are in the running.
Ultimately, we’ll choose three new flavors for 2009—please watch the website for updates and more details as we get closer to the new year.
In all my years of baking (31 years and counting, since my apprenticeship in Germany), I’ve never understood why bread sales go down in the summer. This was as true in Hanover as it is in Austin. My baker friends and I have always searched for products and ideas to boost summer sales. I know, of course, that people eat lighter when the weather is warm, but you’d think that sandwiches, buns and fruit tarts would offset the declines in heartier loaves.
When we started Dr. Kracker, I found I’d finally discovered a bread product that people will love to eat all year round. Our Flatbreads, Snacker Crackers, and Snack Chips are light and healthy, and they all pair well with salads, dips and spreads— just the kinds of foods that people prefer to eat when the weather is hot and weighs on us. And lately, I’ve become especially interested in experimenting with spreads that complement Dr. Kracker flatbreads and crackers, both in terms of flavor and nutritional value.
The Doctor is especially fond of fish spreads. In my latest home version of a salmon spread, I added 2 or 3 ounces of spicy green olives from our local grocery’s olive bar to my salmon, bean and sun-dried tomato spread with good results. I’m getting so attached to this spread for breakfast and for a quick snack, I feel like a traitor to peanut butter and jam, my old standbys.
By the way, more and more grocery stores are offering antipasto bars, bursting with tempting displays of many exciting pickled or roasted vegetables. These are combinations that are just waiting to be chopped into cream cheese and or cooked beans and then spread onto your favorite deliciously sturdy Dr. Kracker flatbread or cracker. Here are two quick ideas for spreads:
Calamata Olive and Walnut Spread:
4 oz Cream Cheese
4 oz Feta Cheese (cow or goat)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Blend the cheeses and lemon juice together first in the food processor.
½ cup Pitted Calamata olives
½ cup Walnut pieces
Then blend in the olives and walnuts to the desired consistency. For a richer, creamier spread, add ¼ cup softened, unsalted butter.
Roasted Tomato, Smoked Garlic Bean Dip:
1 15 oz can drained Cannellini beans
12 cloves Smoked Garlic
½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Fresh Oregano (or ½ tsp dried)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Blend all together in the food processor. Then add:
1 Cup Roasted Tomatoes, with oil drained
½ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes (use ones that have not been in oil so that they will absorb the moisture and make a thicker spread.)
Speaking of peanut butter, I’d like to thank those of you who sent letters appreciating the information we’ve made available on our new packaging—specifically the declaration that Dr. Kracker is made in a tree nut and peanut-free bakery.
We love the feedback, and we’re very glad the clarification has helped you and the people you shop for enjoy Dr. Kracker!
