In this era of the double-stuffed, sprinkled, frosted, filled, fantastically shaped and otherwise flamboyant cookie, there is one that often gets overlooked: the graham cracker. In fact, if it weren't for Teddy Grahams -- the bear-shaped cookies introduced by Nabisco in 1988 -- the graham cracker might have faded from modern consciousness completely, much like its creator, the Rev. Sylvester Graham.

But Graham, a 19th-century preacher, leaves a far greater legacy than the cracker that bears his name. He was arguably the father of the American health-food movement, an early reformer who, according to the "Oxford Companion to American Food & Drink" (Oxford University Press, 2007), preached that a diet of whole grains, along with unprocessed and, when possible, uncooked foods, was the healthiest. He proscribed meat, shellfish, salt, spices, fatty sauces, coffee, tea and, of course, alcohol. This regimen was adopted by Graham Societies and advertised at "Graham hotels." It is easy to make fun of Graham as a prig and a nut -- and many of his contemporaries did -- but, as "Oxford Companion" contributor Bonnie J. Slotnick argues, the reverend was touting the value of pure, unadulterated, homemade food at a time when bread from the baker was often tainted with copper sulfate, plaster or alum and when butchers worked in highly unsanitary conditions. "Although mocked in his day," Slotnick concludes, "Graham's theories foreshadowed much modern nutritional knowledge."

The French-born chef Jacques Pepin knows a thing or two about good food, and he celebrates the humble graham cracker in a recipe for a ricotta "gateau" (French for "cake") in his new book "More Fast Food My Way" (Houghton Mifflin, 2008). This is a simple dessert that involves layering graham crackers with slightly sweetened ricotta cheese, and topping them with jam thinned with cognac. I have included the favorite dessert of my kids' childhood -- an extremely sweet concoction that they loved because they could make it all by themselves. And, from "The King Arthur 200th Anniversary Baking Book" (Sands, Taylor & Wood, 1990), here is a recipe for making your own graham crackers.

Other ideas for graham crackers:

-- Use to build "gingerbread" houses for the holidays. Glue together with royal icing (4 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 egg whites and 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, beaten at high speed for 5 minutes).

-- Make graham-cracker crusts for your favorite pies: Mix together 1-1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs, 6 tablespoons melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Press into an 8- or 9-inch pie plate. (For a prebaked crust, bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 350 F oven.)

-- Layer graham crackers and applesauce in individual dessert dishes. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

-- For no-bake cookies: Mix crumbs from four graham crackers (eight squares) with 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, 3 scant tablespoons honey and 1 generous tablespoon coconut flakes. Roll into eight balls and flatten slightly, pressing into more coconut to coat.

Note: Toasting nuts brings out flavor and is an option in two of the recipes below. To toast: Place in a single layer on a baking sheet with sides or ovenproof skillet. Bake at 350 F for 8 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully so the nuts don't burn. Remove from oven, and remove nuts from pan to stop them from toasting more. Allow to cool before using.

SWEET RICOTTA GATEAU WITH PEACH SAUCE

2/3 cup best-quality ricotta cheese

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sugar

4 graham crackers, each cut into two 2-1/2-inch squares (8 squares total)

6 tablespoons peach or apricot jam with pieces of fruit in it, preferably homemade

about 1 tablespoon cognac, rum or water

about 16 hazelnuts, whole or broken into pieces (toasted to bring out flavor, if desired)

Using a whisk or spoon, stir the ricotta, vanilla and sugar in a small bowl until smooth and fluffy. Spread four of the graham-cracker squares with the ricotta cream and place them in the center of four dessert plates. Top with the four remaining squares.

Mix the jam with enough cognac, rum or water to thin it enough to coat the crackers. Spoon about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the diluted jam over each dessert, top with the hazelnuts and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe from "More Fast Food My Way" by Jacques Pepin (Houghton Mifflin, 2008)

MAKE-THEM-IN-THE-PAN COOKIES (DREAM BARS)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup graham-cracker crumbs

1 cup flaked baking coconut

1 (12-ounce) package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup pecans or other nuts (toasted to bring out flavor, if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Put a 9-by-13-inch heat- and oven-proof baking pan on a burner, and melt the butter right in the pan. Spread the graham-cracker crumbs over the melted margarine. Add a layer of coconut. Do not mix any of the layers together. Next, add a layer of chocolate chips. Pour the condensed milk over all of this, then sprinkle on a layer of nuts. Do not mix.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool before cutting into squares.

Yield: About 36 squares

Recipe from "Kids Cook!" by Sarah and Zachary Williamson (Williamson Publishing, 1992)

HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKERS

1 cup graham flour or stone-ground whole-wheat flour (see Cook's note)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small bits

1/4 cup honey

about 1/4 cup milk, plus more for brushing

Cook's note: Graham flour is a specially ground type of whole-wheat flour. For whole-wheat flour, the whole-wheat kernel is ground together. For graham flour, the components (wheat bran, wheat germ and endosperm) are ground separately and then recombined.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and lightly brush the paper with oil.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. Stir in the honey. Add the 1/4 cup milk to make a stiff dough.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times so it holds together. Roll it out until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares, prick with a fork, and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Let the crackers rest for 5 minutes.

Brush the tops with milk, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the crackers from the oven, and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to five days.

Yield: about 3 dozen crackers

Recipe from "The King Arthur 200th Anniversary Baking Book" (Sands, Taylor & Wood, 1990)

 

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.