Cheese Straws
Crisp, cheesy, twisted puff pastry sticks with a kick of paprika. The first thing to vanish at any party.
Ingredients
- 320 g ready-rolled puff pastry (1 sheet)
- 1 Eggs, beaten
- 75 g mature cheddar, finely grated
- 25 g Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
- ½ tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 pinch Cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp plain flour, for dusting
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F) and line two trays with baking paper. Mix the cheeses, paprika and cayenne.
- Unroll the pastry on a lightly floured surface, brush with egg and scatter half the cheese over one half. Fold the bare half over, press down and roll back out to the original size.
- Brush with egg again, scatter with the rest of the cheese and press it in lightly. Cut across into 1.5 cm strips.
- Twist each strip a few times and lay on the trays, pressing the ends down so they stay twisted. Chill for 15 min.
- Bake for 12–15 min until puffed, crisp and deep golden. Cool on the trays; they crisp further as they cool.
Tips
- Traditional Parmesan is made with animal rennet; for a vegetarian version, use a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese.
- Make with leftover pastry trimmings too; stack them flat rather than scrunching to keep the layers.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Cheese Straws in Nouns Cooking