The Connie Cracker
The ultimate party cracker, as made by Connie.
The Connie Cracker on a pewter cracker tray.
Constance Dalziel Hughes was my husband’s paternal grandmother. Also known as Connie or “Nana,” Connie was born and raised in Chicago, worked as a model, and married a fighter pilot, Huey Hughes. After living abroad in Germany, they eventually set roots down in in Montgomery, AL to raise their family for 4 children. Connie loved German Shepherds, riding horses, and a martini. I had the pleasure of meeting Connie a handful of times before she passed. From the stories I’ve heard, and from pictures I’ve studied, I imagine Connie played the part of hostess well. Likely picking easy-to-please recipes that required minimal effort so as to maximize her efforts as a host and looking good while doing it!
Constance Dalziel Hughes photographed in 1950s or 60s
I was studying recipes from my personal Preserved Press book, and came across a cracker hors d’oeuvre by Connie. It is hands down the simplest of recipes to prepare, with only 3 ingredients: saltines, bacon, paprika. The low heat of the oven means that it cooks longer, giving you time to get gussied up before your guests arrive, and remove just in time to serve warm. The ultimate party cracker.
original recipe transcribed in a Preserved Press cookbook
First, preheat your oven to 250 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with saltine crackers. I like to leave a little bit of space between each cracker to ensure the bacon crisps up. With spacing in mind, I used 1/2 a sleeve (around 20 crackers) for one batch vs. a full sleeve stated in the original recipe.
line crackers on rimmed baking sheet.
Next, you’re going to wrap the bacon around each cracker. Take your strips of bacon, and vertically cut them in half. If one half/end of your bacon is super wide, you can either trim the fat, or cut that piece in half again, lengthwise. I recommend not using thick-cut bacon as it won’t crisp up as easily. Wrap the piece of bacon around the center of the cracker and place seam side down.
bacon-wrapped saltines
Sprinkle the tops of your crackers with paprika, and bake in the oven for 1 hour. While baking, turn up your music, pour a dressing drink (martini preferred) and get yourself ready for guests to arrive. Serve warm on a cracker tray and garnish with snips of chive. These crackers stay crispy for a while, but you can always throw another batch in for a mid-party refresh.
Recipe Notes:
Be sure to use regular cut bacon vs. thick-cut for even cooking. The cracker’s crispiness will last; however, they’ll be gone before you can find out for how long!
Recipe Card:
