Ellen Daigle sent a recipe she says isn't so much a signature dish as it is a signature snack used in wedding welcome bags or as a gift for guests to take home.
She originally found the recipe for Dill Pickle Saltines on a recipe website called Fake Ginger, but Daigle doctored up the recipe and improved upon what was already a good idea.
Daigle says that at her daughter's recent wedding, the wedding planner said that the next time she has to make welcome bags for a wedding she plans to call Daigle to make the Dill Pickle Saltines. Daigle told the wedding planner that the shipping of the crackers would be prohibitive, but the planner assured her that people would be happy to pay for these crackers.
I will confess that I was skeptical. I mean, I liked dill pickles in middle school, but I've moved on.
After trying the recipe, I'm a believer.
It is quick, easy and yields tiny flavor-packed crackers bursting with flavor that are completely addictive. Plus, they're just cute. I had no idea Saltines made the mini versions until I tried this recipe.
Daigle says she's found that most people like the crackers -- and I must say that, based on my experience after making them, I agree. My husband and I love them. To get the crackers out of the house so we wouldn't eat them all, I took them with me to Mississippi to visit my uncle in the hospital. My mother, cousins, aunt and friends all loved them as much as I did.
Daigle says her nephews' 2-year-old loves them, but her 70-something brother doesn't like them as he doesn't like pickles or the dill pickle flavor much. I wondered if he actually tried them, because even though the dill flavor is there, it's not the overwhelming taste.
Daigle, her husband and their two daughters moved from Baton Rouge to Tampa, Florida, in 1998, but her family and friends are still in Baton Rouge and she reads the food section in the newspaper each week.
You, too, can send in your signature dish. I pick a new dish each week to try at home and then compare notes with the cook who sent it. If you've got a great dish you think others would love, email me at [email protected].
Dill Pickle Saltines
Yields about 15 servings. This recipe, by Ellen Daigle, was inspired by a recipe from Fake Ginger.
2 11-ounce boxes of mini Saltines
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 (1 ounce) ranch dressing dry mix
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice (from a pickle jar)
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
About 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 250 F. Line one full sheet rimmed baking pan (or two half sheets) with parchment paper.
2. Place Saltines in a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk together melted butter, ranch dressing mix, olive oil, dill pickle juice, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the Saltines and gently toss to coat all the Saltines.
5. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet(s).
6. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt over the top of crackers.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes.
8. Cool completely before serving or storing.
Love New Orleans food? Pull up a seat at the table. Join Where NOLA Eats, the hub for food and dining coverage in New Orleans.
Follow Where NOLA Eats on Instagram at @wherenolaeats, join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group and subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats biweekly newsletter here.