Showing posts with label straws. Show all posts
Showing posts with label straws. Show all posts

Cheese Straws – These Don’t Suck

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

I took a few things for granted in this cheese straws video. I assumed you could tell how delicious they were as I crunched into them, which is why I never said as much. I also assumed you’d figure out how, where, and when to use them; as I failed to give my usual serving suggestions. I was so taken by the sound and texture of these cheesy sticks, that it just never occurred to me to state such obvious facts.

So, for the record, let’s make this official. These really tasted great, and that’s without any embellishments whatsoever. There are so many things that will work with this technique, including, but not limited to garlic butter, fresh herbs, crushed nuts, and/or literally any dried spice. As far as approved uses, it’d be easier to list things this wouldn’t work with.

Any soup, stew, or bowl of chili would look substantially better with some of these alongside. A few cheese straws will make that sleepy bowl of leftover pasta suddenly seems special again, and substituting them for toast at breakfast is a proven crowd-pleaser. Dipping toasted bread into a runny egg yolk is nice, but dipping with a warm, crispy cheese straw? That goes way beyond nice.

As long as you use some nice, grate-able pungent cheeses, and cook them long enough to get crisp, there’s no way these won’t be great. I hope you give them a try soon, and report back with all your brilliant adaptations. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
frozen puff pastry
about 2 tsp olive oil , or as needed
about 1/2 cup total finely grated aged cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, or more as needed
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
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Cheese Straws

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

I found these over at Smitten Kitchen and thought they looked like a fun party food. And fun they were! They were incredibly easy and tasted a whole lot like cheez its with a little kick. They came together in no time at all and were fun to have out on our spread. Try them!


Cheese Straws

1 1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 T. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 T. half-and-half

First off, I used medium cheddar because thats what I had. Im sure extra sharp would be better, but they were still really tasty. Also, I used cream instead of half-and-half, but either would work (or milk) and I need more like 2 T. to form the dough. Okay, procede...

In food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt & pepper until it is in coarse crumbles. Add half-and-half and pulse until dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface into an 8x10 rectangle that is 1/2 " thick. Cut dough into thin strips (About 1/3"). Gently transfer strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (or line with parchment paper), leaving 1/4" between them.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature. Store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
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