The Ultimate Cheese Straws Food

SOUTHERN CHEDDAR & HERB CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set two oven racks in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cheese, flour, salt, red pepper flakes and herbs. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Cut the butter into ½-inch chunks and add to the flour/cheese mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some pea-size clumps of butter within. Add the heavy cream and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together into a mass.
• Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough on top. Dust the top of the dough with flour and use your hands to shape into a rectangle about 1-inch high. Cut the rectangle in half.
• Dust the work surface with more flour and roll each block of dough into a 8 x 10-inch rectangle about ⅛-inch thick (turn the dough as you go and add more flour as necessary so it doesn't stick). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, trim the edges straight without sacrificing too much dough, then cut the dough into thin strips about ¼-inch wide. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about a ¼-inch of space between them. Bake the straws for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and a rich golden color on the bottom, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through. Remove from the pans from the oven and set on a rack to cool. Carefully transfer the cheese straws to a plate and serve.
• Note: The cheese straws will keep well in a covered container for a few days.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Shape the dough into 2 rectangles, about 1 inch thick, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the freezer, thaw it until pliable, and then proceed with recipe. To Freeze After Baking: Let the cheese straws cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

CAYENNE CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Grate the cheese on the medium holes of a grater to make 4 cups. Cover the grated cheese and leave out with the butter until at room temperature, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. (Note: You need to grate your own cheese here--no pre-grated.)
• When ready to make the cheese straws, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Mix the flour, salt, cayenne, mustard and black pepper in a medium bowl.
• Put the cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until fairly smooth. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Check the consistency; it should be just stiff enough to pipe. If not, add a little more flour.
• Scrape the dough into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag. Use a 1/4-inch tip or cut a 1/4-inch hole in the plastic bag. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 5- to 6-inch strips. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put the softened cheese and butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Using the heaviest mixer paddle attachment, beat until the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream, 15 to 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining 1 cup unseasoned flour incrementally until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press; you may not need to add all the flour.
• Lightly spray 4 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto a cookie sheet in long strips that run the length of the pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Bake until straws are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
• With your hands or a sharp knife, break or cut the long strips into 3-inch lengths. Use a flat, thin spatula or an egg turner to remove the cheese strips from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, serve or store in a tightly covered container.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
• Sift together the flour, cayenne and salt and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cheese until blended. Add the flour mixture slowly, beating at low speed, then continue to beat for 5 minutes, until very creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.
• Using a cookie press with a star tip, make 3-inch-long cheese straws, leaving at least 1/2 inch between each on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool. Makes approximately 5 dozen cheese straws.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Pulse cheese, flour, butter, salt, and cayenne in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until dough forms a ball.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Cut dough with a lightly floured pizza wheel or lightly floured sharp knife into 1/3-inch-wide strips. Carefully transfer to 2 ungreased baking sheets, arranging strips 1/4 inch apart. (If strips tear, pinch back together.)
• Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.
• What to drink:
• Haggipavlu Nemea '04

SOUTHERN CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grate cheese.
• In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients until combined, then add cheese and butter. Process until dough becomes smooth and has the texture of Play-Doh. Alternately, make the dough in a stand mixer by creaming cheese and butter until smooth. Then combine dry ingredients in a bowl and combine with butter mixture at low speed until smooth.
• Shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap or parchment and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Or store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• Bring dough to room temperature and pack it into a cookie press fitted with a star disk. Pipe long ribbons of dough across the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, about an inch apart. Then cut into six-inch lengths. Repeat with remaining dough. Dough may also be hand-rolled into long ropes and cut to size, or shaped into a cylinder and sliced into rounds and baked.
• Bake for about 13 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Store between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container. Will keep for up to three weeks.

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.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it is 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 Gruyère, 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, or until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don't over bake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room temperature.

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.