Twisty Cheese Straws Food

TWISTY CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the cream cheese and pesto into a bowl and mix well.
• Unroll the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthways. Spread the pesto mix over one half, pop the other piece of pastry on top to create a sandwich, then cut in half lengthways to create 2 long rectangles. Divide each rectangle into short strips, about 1cm thick. Twist each pastry strip and place on a baking tray lined with parchment.
• Brush with egg and bake for 20-25 mins until risen and golden brown.

EASY CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°C/gas mark 6.
• Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Cut the butter into small cubes, then place in a bowl. Add the flour and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Finely grate the Parmesan, then add 60g to the flour and butter, along with the mustard and paprika. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture comes together.
• Roll it out on a floured surface, forming a rectangle about 1cm thick. Slice it into 1cm sticks and place onto the baking sheets.
• Sprinkle over the remaining cheese, a little more paprika and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.

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.

CRISPY CHEESE TWISTS

Steps:

• Combine parmesan cheese, pepper and garlic powder. Unfold pastry sheets onto cutting board. Brush lightly with egg white; sprinkle each sheet with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Lightly press into pastry, turn over; repeat. Cut each sheet into 12 (1-inch) strips; twist.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake in 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

BACON AND CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Lightly grease a large baking tray with a little oil or line with greaseproof paper.
• Lay out the ready rolled pastry on a floured surface, sprinkle the cheese all over the pastry and fold in half.
• Roll out the pastry to roughly 25 x 40cm (10 x 16 inches). It should be wide enough to place 8 rashers of bacon side-by-side and just a little longer than 1 rasher of bacon in the other direction (see picture above).
• Spread the pastry with the mustard and then lay out the bacon so the bacon is just touching but not overlapping.
• Cut down between the bacon, so you have 8 strips, then twist each strip several times and place on the prepared baking tray.
• Chill the twists for a minimum of 20 minutes in the fridge.
• Just before you plan on cooking the cheese straws, heat your oven to 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F.
• Remove the cheese straws from the fridge and brush with the beaten egg.
• Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until golden on top and cooked all the way through.
• Eat as soon as they are cool enough to hold.
• Store any uneaten cheese straws in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 10 minutes at 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F or until piping hot all the way through.