Cheese Straws With Homemade Puff Pastry Food

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Lightly roll out the sheet of pastry into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, then brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle over the Cheddar, cayenne and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Using the rolling pin, press the cheese into the pastry. Cut the pastry into 12 strips. Twist each strip about 5 times and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix together the egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl, brush the strips with the mixture and sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until golden brown and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes.

PUFF-PASTRY CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine cheese and cayenne in a bowl.
• Lay each puff-pastry sheet flat on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out two 11-by-16-inch rectangles. Dividing evenly, brush with some of beaten eggs and sprinkle with cheese mixture. Using a pastry cutter or sharp paring knife, trim long ends to make even, then cut each rectangle crosswise into fifteen 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Working with one at a time, twist each strip into a spiral and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Using your thumb, press ends of strips onto parchment to prevent unraveling during baking. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Bake until pastry is golden, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks before serving or storing.

CHEESE STRAWS WITH HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, gently roll pastry dough into a 14-inch square 1/8 inch thick. Be careful not to press too hard on the edges. Using a pastry brush, dust off excess flour; brush beaten egg over lower half of dough until it is well moistened.
• In a small bowl, mix together salt and cayenne. Sprinkle half the salt mixture over egg-washed portion of dough. Sprinkle half the grated cheese over the same half; fold the uncovered dough over the cheese-covered section. Gently press all over the dough with your fingers to seal the dough halves together.
• Brush top of dough again with beaten egg to moisten; sprinkle remaining salt mixture and cheese evenly over the top.
• Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim edges, and cut dough into 1/2-inch vertical strips. Twist strips into spiraled straws, and lay 1 inch apart on three ungreased baking sheets. To prevent straws from straightening out again, gently press both ends to adhere them to the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place in oven, and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees; continue baking until straws are golden brown and cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; using a thin spatula, immediately transfer straws to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it's 10 by 12 inches. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1/4 cup of the parmesan, 1/2 cup of the gruyere, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper. With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don't overbake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room temperature.
• Let the puff pastry thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

QUICK CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• heat oven to 220c/fan 200c/gas 7. Unroll a puff pastry, scatter over a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan, then fold in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut into 1cm strips, then twist the strips 3-4 times. Lay on a baking sheet, scatter over more cheese and bake for 12 mins, or until golden. Leave to cool, then keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. As these cheese straws are very delicate, roll them in kitchen paper before packing into a plastic container.

SPICED PUFF PASTRY CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set aside two ungreased rimmed baking sheets.
• In a small bowl, combine the cheese, cayenne, paprika, and salt. Set aside. In a second small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed pastry sheet 1/8 inch thick, to form a rectangle that is about 10 by 16 inches. Lightly brush the dough with the egg wash.
• To shape the straws, halve the pastry crosswise into two 5 by 8-inch rectangles. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over one rectangle and top with the other rectangle, egg-wash side down, pressing firmly to force out any air pockets. Roll out the layered pastry a little further to make the layers adhere (the rectangle should be about 12 by 9 inches). Brush the top of the pastry with additional egg wash and transfer to a baking sheet. Chill until firm, about 10 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Remove from the freezer and transfer to a floured work surface. With a large sharp knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, cut the pastry lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide sticks. Twist the ends of each strip in opposite directions to create a long twirl.
• To bake the straws, arrange them about 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets, pressing down the ends to fix the straws to the rimmed edge of the sheet pan. Bake the cheese straws, in batches, in the middle of the oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. (While baking in batches, keep the raw dough in the refrigerator.) Transfer the baking sheet to a rack to cool slightly, then transfer the cheese straws to a rack to cool completely.
• making ahead
• Once they have cooled completely, store the cheese straws in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Re-crisp them in a 425°F oven just until heated through, about 5 minutes.

PARMESAN, PUFF PASTRY STRAWS

Steps:

• Note: The saltiness of Parmesan cheese varies from wheel to wheel, so be sure to taste the cheese before adding it to the mixture; If it is salty, reduce the amount of salt added to 1 t or alternatively, eliminate the added salt, entirely; You may choose to make your own pastry, or not; If not, then Tenderflake makes an excellent Puff Pastry, and you can purchase this from the frozen pastry section at your favourite Supermarket.
• Preheat Oven to 425F, with the rack in the centre.
• Place the chilled puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.
• Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick, making a 24 x 26 inch square (if you use the packaged puff pastry, your square will be slightly smaller-- That is OK, you will have two squares) Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the dough; this will help make the edges uniform as they cook.
• Brush the dough lightly with the melted butter.
• Sprinkle the dough with 3/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tsp of the salt.
• Brush the surface of the dough with the egg.
• Sprinkle with the remaining salt and Parmesan.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough vertically, into 1/2 inch strips.
• Transfer 6 of the strips to a baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
• Grab each end of the dough strip with your fingers, and carefully stretch and twist the strip in opposite directions to create spiral strips.
• Continue with the remaining strips of dough.
• Bake until golden brown, 10- 12 minutes.
• Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up.
• Using both hands, transfer the sticks to a wire rack or serving platter.