Homemade Cheddar And Pecan Crisps Food

BACON AND CHEDDAR PUFF PASTRY CRISPS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12x12-inch square. Cut into 36 (2-inch) squares. Prick the pastry squares with a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet, making 72 squares in all. Place the squares onto baking sheets.
• Bake for 8 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Using the back of a spoon, press down the centers of the hot pastries to make an indentation.
• Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon each cheese and bacon onto each pastry. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Top with the dressing and chives.

CHEDDAR PECAN CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat together butter and Cheddar in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in remaining ingredients.
• Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange 3 inches apart on buttered baking sheets. Flatten each ball into a 1 1/2-inch disk and bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

HOMEMADE CHEDDAR AND PECAN CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Coarsely grate the cheddar cheese, and transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cut the two sticks of butter into sixteen pieces, and scatter the pieces over the cheese. Let the cheese and butter soften. Place the pecans in one layer on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven until they are a shade darker and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a medium bowl and toss with the remaining tablespoon of butter (the hot nuts will melt the butter) and salt to taste. Cool the nuts completely, then finely chop.
• Add the chopped pecans, flour, a pinch of salt, cayenne, and black pepper to the bowl of the mixer, and beat the ingredients at medium speed until the mixture pulls together into a dough, about 2 minutes.
• Divide the dough into eight pieces. On a sheet of waxed paper, roll each piece of the dough into a log 1 inch in diameter, and wrap the logs tightly in waxed paper and foil. Chill the logs for at least 8 hours and up to 1 week. The dough will keep frozen for 2 months.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Working with one log at a time, cut the log crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, and arrange the slices 1/2 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake the crisps in batches until they are golden and just firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the wafers on the baking sheet. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the wafers will keep for up to 4 days.