Cheese Straws

We recently hosted our annual wine and cheese tasting party, a party I love to host because no matter how busy we get, its easy. Nothing but picking up a couple of bottles of wine, some cheese and crackers, and there you have the perfect party.

However, this year I decided to experiment a bit. With extra puff pastry in the freezer, and a cheese I’d never had before (Gruyère), I decided to give these cheese straws a whirl. Easy to make (took less than 30 minutes, including cook time) and impressive to look at, I’ll be keeping the makings for these goodies around the house for last-minute entertaining.

Cheese Straws

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Barefoot in Paris

Makes approximately 24 cheese straws

Ingredients:

  • 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
  • Flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbs. water
  • 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 c. finely grated Gruyère cheese
  • 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Beat the egg with 1 tbs. water and set aside. Combine Parmesan, Gruyère, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Lightly flour your counter or a large cutting board. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry and roll out, until it’s 10×12 inches. Brush each of the puff pastry sheets with some egg wash. Evenly sprinkle cheese mixture on both sheets. Use the rolling-pin (lightly!) to press the cheese into the dough.

Using a sharp, floured knife or pizza cutter, cut each piece of puff pastry into 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed. Flip each straw and bake for another minute or two. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet (the straws will initially be a little soft, crisping up more as they cool).

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