Woodman Cheese and Crackers

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 
• 28 servings edible gold dust for garnish
• 0.5 cup cup heavy whipping cream (4.1 oz / 116 g)
• 1.5 tablespoons juice of lemon fresh
• 0.5 cup rye flour (2.1 oz / 60 g)
• 28 servings sea salt for garnish
• 0.3 cup yogurt plain (2.1 oz / 60 g)
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• 4 tablespoons butter unsalted cold cut into small chunks (2 oz / 56 g)
• 1.5 cups milk whole (13 oz / 363 g)
• 0.5 cup pastry flour whole wheat (2.5 oz / 70 g)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• baking paper
• oven
• wire rack
• kitchen thermometer
• stand mixer
• spatula
• colander
• cheesecloth
• chefs knife

Directions

1. To make the ricotta cheese, line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and set the colander over a bowl.
2. Combine the milk, cream, and salt in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the mixture registers 190°F on a digital thermometer.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir in the lemon juice.
4. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then pour the curds and whey through the cheesecloth-lined colander.
5. Let drain at room temperature until the cheese is thick and spreadable, about 1 hour.
6. Transfer the cheese to a container, cover tightly, and refrigerate.
7. Combine the whole wheat flour, rye flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
8. Mix briefly on low speed to blend.
9. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 1 to 2 minutes.
10. Add the yogurt and continue mixing just until the dough comes together into a ball, 10 to 20 seconds.
11. Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper and press it into a flat, even rectangle measuring about 5 by 6 inches.
12. Lay a second sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough to an even 1/8-inch thickness.
13. Remove the top sheet of parchment and, using a chef's knife, cut the dough into rough 2 by 4-inch rectangles. The dough will be sticky, so don't try to remove the rectangles until after chilling. Slide the parchment with the dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until the dough is firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week.
14. To make the crackers, position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
15. Using a small spatula, carefully remove the crackers and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
16. Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the crackers are golden brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.
17. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets, and then use a spatula to transfer the crackers to a wire rack to finish cooling.
18. To serve, spread a layer of ricotta cheese about 1/8 inch thick onto each cracker. Scatter a few edible flowers over the ricotta and sprinkle with sea salt.
19. Note: To create rough edges reminiscent of Francesca Woodman's photograph, we split our cracker dough into thirds, rolled it out, and then cut pieces incorporating the rough edge for a more rustic-looking cracker. Do Ahead: The ricotta cheese can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The cracker dough can be rolled out, wrapped tightly in plastic, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Stored in an airtight container, the baked crackers will keep for 1 day at room temperature.Above and Beyond: Any large-grained sea salt will work in this recipe, but to add a final touch of color as well as unique flavor, use beautiful black sea salt from Hawaii.Resources: Black Hawaiian sea salt: saltworks.us, amazon.com