Crisp Cheese Wafers Friuli Style Recipes

CRISPY CHEESE WAFERS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Mix together cheese, butter, flour, red pepper, Worcestershire and salt in a large bowl until mixture forms a ball that lightly sticks together and pulls in all the flour. (Hands might work best for this).
• Gently fold cereal into dough.
• Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern.
• Bake 15 minutes or until firm. Cool on pan on wire rack. Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

CHEESE WAFERS OR STRAWS

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in mixing bowl. With fingers, work half the butter into the flour until it resembles damp, crumbly sand. Add the remaining cold butter chunks and the cheese and stir with a fork to distribute. Stir in milk and quickly gather dough into a ball with floured hands. (There should be visible butter chunks in the dough.) Squash dough into a rough rectangle about 1 inch thick.
• Dust dough with flour and roll to a long rectangle about 8 by 14 inches and about 1/2-inch thick, with the longer side facing you. Fold dough into thirds: first fold in right side, then left side on top of it, making a nearly square package three layers high. Dust again with flour and roll out to make same size rectangle, then fold it again. Dust and repeat once more. Wrap well in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day in advance.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut dough in half. Refrigerate half the dough and roll the other piece out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. (Do not roll too thin or pastry will not puff.) To make wafers, cut dough into 2-inch rounds with a sharp cookie cutter (or cut into diamonds with a knife). To make straws, cut dough in strips 1/2-inch by 5 inches. Twist strips 2 or 3 times and press down ends to prevent unfurling.
• Place wafers or straws on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Paint lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Add sprinklings of cumin seed, black pepper, rosemary or smoked paprika if desired, and a little more grated cheese. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until well browned and crisp. Let cool before serving. Repeat process with remaining half of dough.
• Note: To make heart-shaped palmiers, cut dough in half as above. Working with one dough half (and refrigerating the other), roll dough to a rectangle about 12 by 8 inches and 1/8-inch thick, with the longer side facing you. Paint entire sheet of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with cheese. Tightly roll each of the long edges toward the center so you have a long, somewhat narrow log consisting of 2 connected side-by-side cylinders. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Pinch the round side of each slice to form a heart shape. Flatten each heart-shaped slice with rolling pin and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Dab each heart with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until well browned.

PARMESAN WAFERS

Steps:

• 4 big ones: Heat a 20cm good-quality non-stick frying pan. Scatter about 20g of the grated cheese over the base of the hot pan. Watch it melt (don't overcook or it will taste bitter) then sprinkle in a teaspoon of chopped chives and some black pepper. When the cheese is bubbly and golden, take the pan off the heat and cool for up to a minute, then the wafer can easily be lifted out with a palette knife. Repeat 3 times.
• 8 little ones: Heat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick silicone sheet or baking parchment. Sprinkle the grated parmesan in 8 neat rounds using the inside of a 5cm cutter as a guide. Sprinkle some chives and black pepper onto each round. Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese bubbles and turns golden. Lift each round onto a rolling pin, cool until crisp, then lift off.
• The wafers will keep in an airtight tin for up to 3 days.

CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• In a medium size mixing bowl, blend together butter or margarine and flour. Mix in the Cheddar cheese, salt, red pepper, hot pepper sauce, and pecans. Form the dough into a roll, wrap in parchment paper, and refrigerate over night.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough into very thin wafers. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp.

CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, cayenne, and salt in a large shallow bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add the cheese and rub into the flour-butter mixture gently with your fingertips until a small bit of dough, when pinched together, will hold its shape. Roll into 3/4-inch balls, place 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets, then flatten into rounds 1/4-inch thick by pressing with a flat-bottomed glass that has been dipped into flour. (You'll have to keep dipping the glass into flour to keep the dough from sticking to it.) Bake uncovered 10 to 12 minutes until pale tan. Transfer the wafers at once to wire racks to cool, then store airtight.

SPICY CHEESE CRISPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), salt, and cayenne pepper. Add finely grated cheddar cheese and softened butter; work with hands until a dough forms.
• Transfer to a sheet of waxed paper. Form into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log; roll up tightly in paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (discard ends, if desired); arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 16 to 18 minutes; transfer crisps to a rack to cool.

CRISPY CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• In food processor or electric mixer, combine all ingredients.
• Roll dough into logs-cover and refrigerate until firm.
• Grease cookie sheet, or cover with parchment paper.
• Slice dough into wafers, bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.

BUTTERY CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Combine the butter and cheese; mix in the Worcestershire sauce, flour, garlic powder, salt and dried herbs (if using).
• Roll mixture into a cylinder about 7 inches long and wrap up in waxed paper.
• Refrigerate until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Slice the chilled mixture into 1/4 inch thick slices and place on a greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden with lightly browned cheese bits.