Dedes Cheese Straws Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in cheese until blended. Combine flour, salt and cayenne; stir into cheese mixture until a dough forms. Roll into a 15x6-in. rectangle. Cut into thirty 6-in. strips. Gently place strips 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set aside two ungreased rimmed baking sheets.
• In a small bowl, combine the cheese, cayenne, paprika, and salt. Set aside. In a second small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed pastry sheet 1/8 inch thick, to form a rectangle that is about 10 by 16 inches. Lightly brush the dough with the egg wash.
• To shape the straws, halve the pastry crosswise into two 5 by 8-inch rectangles. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over one rectangle and top with the other rectangle, egg-wash side down, pressing firmly to force out any air pockets. Roll out the layered pastry a little further to make the layers adhere (the rectangle should be about 12 by 9 inches). Brush the top of the pastry with additional egg wash and transfer to a baking sheet. Chill until firm, about 10 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Remove from the freezer and transfer to a floured work surface. With a large sharp knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, cut the pastry lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide sticks. Twist the ends of each strip in opposite directions to create a long twirl.
• To bake the straws, arrange them about 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets, pressing down the ends to fix the straws to the rimmed edge of the sheet pan. Bake the cheese straws, in batches, in the middle of the oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. (While baking in batches, keep the raw dough in the refrigerator.) Transfer the baking sheet to a rack to cool slightly, then transfer the cheese straws to a rack to cool completely.
• making ahead
• Once they have cooled completely, store the cheese straws in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Re-crisp them in a 425°F oven just until heated through, about 5 minutes.

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.

Steps:

• Position the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter 2 baking sheets.
• To make the dough, in a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cayenne. Set aside. In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until smooth. (The dough can also be made in the bowl of a large food processor: grate the cheese with the grating blade, then transfer the cheese to a bowl and insert the metal blade. Pulse the dry ingredients to combine, then add the butter and cheese. Process until smooth.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for about 15 minutes.
• To shape the dough, work it in your hands; it should be soft and pliable (like Play-Doh). Shape the dough into a cylinder and pack it into a cookie press fitted with the serrated ribbon disk.
• Holding the cookie press at an angle to one of the prepared baking sheets, press the trigger twice, dragging the press away to make a long straw the length of the baking sheet. Repeat until you've covered the sheet, spacing the ribbons of dough 1 inch apart. Using a butter knife or offset spatula, cut each ribbon into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough and the other baking sheet. (If your cookie press extrudes the dough in fits and spurts, simply pick up the dough and reuse.)
• Bake the cheese straws, rotating the baking sheets once, until lightly browned on the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheets to a rack to cool slightly. Using an offset or slotted spatula, remove the individual cheese straws to cool completely.
• Store the cheese straws at room temperature in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper. They will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.