Parmesan Cheese CRACK(ers)

Ya'll might remember me raving about the wonders of cheese straws (mouse your way back to it, totally worth a whirl). Remember now?

Were you the one that ate half of the platter when I took them to a friend's birthday?

They go fast. I have warned you! To make up for it, they are just as fast to make. We all win.

Even before Cheese crackers are baked, the dough smells heavenly and yes it is worth nibbling on. Go ahead, just see for yourself. When they are baking - you will get the munchies - no drugs required.

Baked cheese.....

As with so many easy and simple Mark Bittman recipes, crackers require a few simple ingredients that you will most likely have in your kitchen. The crackers in this post require the same ingredients the presentation is slightly different, they are rolled then cut into little squares as opposed to long "straws."

I use whatever cheese we have on hand, even a combination. The most ideal is sharp white cheddar, but really, I live in a conservative rural area, most people think cheddar should be yellow/orange and I don't think I could find white cheddar at the store. White cheddar seems purely aesthetic for this recipe (well I am sure it probably tastes a little better). If using white cheddar, the final product won't be speckled with yellow flecks of cheese. It is ok. I have used anything from pepper jack, Parmesan and sharp cheddar and a combination of all. What ever is fine, use your imagination and discretion. 

I utilize the milk product on hand as well. I recommend at least half and half, this batched I splurged for cream. The final product was far superior using cream. Splurge! Cream it is!

See Jonny is turning 90. Not many people turn 90. We should all be working on it. Jonny works on it. She still lives on her own in a rural Tennessee (she probably couldn't find white cheddar either so it is ok), oh yeah - she still has a horse she looks after.

Jonny is J's Grandma. I heard that she once skated through the house on her roller skates just to turn some heads. She still pulls tricks out of her bag to get attention. Jonny lets us stay at her house for as long as we want. She also has made the best cornbread I have ever ate. I still crave it from time to time but never seem to come across a recipe.

When J and I were trying to figure out a few shippable treats for his dear Grandma Jonny, cheese straws were the first thing that popped into my head. She likes to snack on crackers, so do we. I made a double batch one afternoon and we skipped dinner that night. CRACK(ers). You know what happened there!

They are best the first day but I know once they get there they won't last long.

Oh Nibble NIBBLE!

I had to make cute little crackers for a cute little lady!

Jonny with two of her grandkids, JMS and CBS Thanksgiving 2010

Parmesan Cream Crackers
Adapted from Mark Bittman



Rolling the dough 1/4-inch thick, yields 30 1 1/2-inch square cookies that shrank slightly and puffed to 3/8-inch thick

1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half, more as needed
Coarse salt, pepper, or whatever you like for sprinkling (optional).

Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly dust with flour. Put flour, salt, cheese and butter in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half and let machine run for a bit until a dough forms. If it does not come together, add more liquid a teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together but is not sticky.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed. From here, you can either form them into individual crackers (I went for 1 1/2-inch squares cut with a fluted pastry wheel) and bake them an inch apart on your baking sheet (the method I used) or transfer the entire rolled-out sheet to your baking sheet (draping it over the rolling pin will make it easier) and score them lightly with a knife, pizza or pastry wheel to break into crackers after they are baked. For either method, dock all over with a fork and sprinkle with salt or any other toppings you are using.

Bake until moderately browned, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack; serve warm or at room temperature or store in a tin for a few days.

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Cheese Straws

I admit, I am a snack-a-holic. By the time dinner rolls around I have munched my way through any hunger that I might of had for a real meal.  Appitizers, chips, crackers are rank high in my book.

I also really love dinner parties and cooking or a big group of friends, my favorite part of course is coming up with sensational finer foods.

When I first came across the recipe for cheese straws it was over at Smitten Kitchen and it was around the holidays. Holidays and parties go hand and hand. The first time that I shared them was at friends birthday party in which they were gone in an a matter of minutes (a double batch mind you) but anything with cheese would have been inhaled by this group of friends that had just spent the day at the mountain.

These really are ultra easy and you most likely have the ingredients on hand. Feel free to tweak the cheese to what ever you have at the time. I have substituted parmesan and even a dill havarti.

The best part about these is the amazing smell that comes from the oven while baking these.

Simply irristable!



Cheese Straws
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen & The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon half-and-half (I used cream, because I had it on hand; suspect milk would work just as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though I lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.

4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

5. Serve at room temperature. Cheese straws will keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for two days. They will not last an hour at a party.