Chip in for a gourmet treat: Make them yourself at home

Gourmet specialty chips are yummy, and usually expensive, so we set out to see what it would take to make our own. After a couple of experiments, we settled on homemade pita chips as an easy and economical treat. The results are simply fantastic. Use them to scoop hummus or even to take the place of crackers.

Making crunchy pita chips basically boils down to pulling the bread rounds apart into two sections and then slicing them into wedges with a pizza cutter. (Cutting them in half first to "access the pocket" makes it quick work.) Then, brushed with a bit of butter or oil and sprinkled with flavor enhancers like herbs and cheese, they pop into the oven and crisp into chips.

For our first attempt, we used garlic, parmesan and an Italian herb mix, but you can use almost any combo that strikes your fancy. Here are some suggestions. Choose one ingredient from each category, apply to taste, and let your imagination soar.

Bread base: plain pita or flatbread, whole-wheat pita or flatbread. (Flatbread will not separate easily like pita, but you can cut it into two thin sheets before cutting into wedges.)

Oil base: extra-virgin olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, butter and oil mixed or Italian salad dressing.

Toppers: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flaxseeds; grated Romano or parmesan cheese; Italian seasoning, coarse sea salt, coarsely ground back pepper, chili powder or curry powder.

Our pita chips were so delicious that we went a bit overboard (and so might you!), so here's a storage tip: Keep any leftover pita chips in a tightly closed tin (not plastic), and they'll stay crisp longer. For a delicious and easy Roasted Garlic Hummus that goes great with pita chips, visit our Web site at kitchenscoop.com.

• Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross have been writing "Desperation Dinners" for more than a decade. Contact them at Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 or tellus@kitchenscoop.com. Or, visit kitchenscoop.com.