Lorraines Bacon Cheddar Straws Food

BACON AND CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to a large rectangle of 0.5cm/¼in thickness.
• Turn the pastry so that the longest side is facing you, spread over the mustard, sprinkle with the cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper. Place the pieces of bacon onto the pastry, leaving a small gap between each piece.
• Cut the pastry between each slice of bacon. Carefully twist each piece of pastry 4-5 times so it looks like a curly straw, then place on the baking tray.
• Repeat the process until all of the bacon has been used up. Chill the pastry twists in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
• Remove the twists from the fridge and brush with the beaten egg.
• Reduce the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and bake the twists for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is well risen and golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

CHEESY BACON STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and fit a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• In a small saucepot, mix the maple syrup, red pepper flakes, orange juice and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
• Line up the bacon slices on the wire rack and brush with the hot maple syrup mixture. Sprinkle some cheese on each piece of bacon. With a skewer in hand, fold the end of a piece of bacon in half lengthwise and press the skewer through the end. Do this to 4 pieces of bacon, spreading them out evenly across the skewer, and place the skewer on the baking sheet. Twist the bacon pieces into long spirals so as to create straws. Take another skewer and skewer the bottom of each piece of bacon to keep the bacon twisted. Do this to all the bacon.
• Bake until the bacon browns, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly on the rack; the bacon will get crunchy as it sits. Serve immediately.

CLASSIC CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Unfold the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water; generously brush on the pastry sheets (reserve the remaining egg wash).
• Combine the cheddar, parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over 1 pastry sheet, then place the other pastry sheet on top, egg wash-side down, lining up the edges. Lightly dust the pastry with flour; firmly press the top sheet down, then roll out the sandwiched pastry sheets into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the puff pastry rectangle in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 18 strips. Twist each strip a few times and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with the reserved egg wash. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 1 day.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Bake the cheese straws, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Slide the straws (on the parchment) onto a rack and let cool completely.