Spiced Puff Pastry Cheese Straws Recipes

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Lightly roll out the sheet of pastry into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, then brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle over the Cheddar, cayenne and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Using the rolling pin, press the cheese into the pastry. Cut the pastry into 12 strips. Twist each strip about 5 times and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix together the egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl, brush the strips with the mixture and sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until golden brown and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes.

CHEESE STRAWS WITH HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, gently roll pastry dough into a 14-inch square 1/8 inch thick. Be careful not to press too hard on the edges. Using a pastry brush, dust off excess flour; brush beaten egg over lower half of dough until it is well moistened.
• In a small bowl, mix together salt and cayenne. Sprinkle half the salt mixture over egg-washed portion of dough. Sprinkle half the grated cheese over the same half; fold the uncovered dough over the cheese-covered section. Gently press all over the dough with your fingers to seal the dough halves together.
• Brush top of dough again with beaten egg to moisten; sprinkle remaining salt mixture and cheese evenly over the top.
• Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim edges, and cut dough into 1/2-inch vertical strips. Twist strips into spiraled straws, and lay 1 inch apart on three ungreased baking sheets. To prevent straws from straightening out again, gently press both ends to adhere them to the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place in oven, and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees; continue baking until straws are golden brown and cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; using a thin spatula, immediately transfer straws to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

PARMESAN, PUFF PASTRY STRAWS

Steps:

• Note: The saltiness of Parmesan cheese varies from wheel to wheel, so be sure to taste the cheese before adding it to the mixture; If it is salty, reduce the amount of salt added to 1 t or alternatively, eliminate the added salt, entirely; You may choose to make your own pastry, or not; If not, then Tenderflake makes an excellent Puff Pastry, and you can purchase this from the frozen pastry section at your favourite Supermarket.
• Preheat Oven to 425F, with the rack in the centre.
• Place the chilled puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.
• Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick, making a 24 x 26 inch square (if you use the packaged puff pastry, your square will be slightly smaller-- That is OK, you will have two squares) Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the dough; this will help make the edges uniform as they cook.
• Brush the dough lightly with the melted butter.
• Sprinkle the dough with 3/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tsp of the salt.
• Brush the surface of the dough with the egg.
• Sprinkle with the remaining salt and Parmesan.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough vertically, into 1/2 inch strips.
• Transfer 6 of the strips to a baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
• Grab each end of the dough strip with your fingers, and carefully stretch and twist the strip in opposite directions to create spiral strips.
• Continue with the remaining strips of dough.
• Bake until golden brown, 10- 12 minutes.
• Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up.
• Using both hands, transfer the sticks to a wire rack or serving platter.

PUFF-PASTRY CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine cheese and cayenne in a bowl.
• Lay each puff-pastry sheet flat on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out two 11-by-16-inch rectangles. Dividing evenly, brush with some of beaten eggs and sprinkle with cheese mixture. Using a pastry cutter or sharp paring knife, trim long ends to make even, then cut each rectangle crosswise into fifteen 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Working with one at a time, twist each strip into a spiral and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Using your thumb, press ends of strips onto parchment to prevent unraveling during baking. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Bake until pastry is golden, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks before serving or storing.