Thursday, February 21, 2013

Cheese Straws – These Don’t Suck

I took a few things for granted in this cheese straws video. I assumed you could tell how delicious they were as I crunched into them, which is why I never said as much. I also assumed you’d figure out how, where, and when to use them; as I failed to give my usual serving suggestions. I was so taken by the sound and texture of these cheesy sticks, that it just never occurred to me to state such obvious facts.

So, for the record, let’s make this official. These really tasted great, and that’s without any embellishments whatsoever. There are so many things that will work with this technique, including, but not limited to garlic butter, fresh herbs, crushed nuts, and/or literally any dried spice. As far as approved uses, it’d be easier to list things this wouldn’t work with.

Any soup, stew, or bowl of chili would look substantially better with some of these alongside. A few cheese straws will make that sleepy bowl of leftover pasta suddenly seems special again, and substituting them for toast at breakfast is a proven crowd-pleaser. Dipping toasted bread into a runny egg yolk is nice, but dipping with a warm, crispy cheese straw? That goes way beyond nice.

As long as you use some nice, grate-able pungent cheeses, and cook them long enough to get crisp, there’s no way these won’t be great. I hope you give them a try soon, and report back with all your brilliant adaptations. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
frozen puff pastry
about 2 tsp olive oil , or as needed
about 1/2 cup total finely grated aged cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, or more as needed
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing another great recipe with us.

Unknown said...

You are the best Chef John!

Don't stop making this great videos.

Why don't you do video-interview so can learn more about You.

Unknown said...

I love your recipes Chef John!
Please do not stop making them.

Why don't you do a video-interview for your core-fans?

We would like to know more about you.

Regards from Croatia/Europe.

You must come here to taste great Mediterranean food.

Chef John said...

Because I am an international man of mystery. ;)

Unknown said...

can't wait to make these tomorrow to go with chicken gnocchi soup! They look great!

Anonymous said...

I've made these from a from scratch puff pastry, but this is way easier! Thanks for the video.

Natalia Hartanto said...

i was wondering what brand of puff pastry you used?

NetKerveros said...

Beyond words!!! I just turned them over and couldn't resist and had one. Unbelievable! the house smells like the best bakery in the world!!!

Rita said...

this could be made a day ahead, right?

Chef John said...

Yes, but much better freshly baked!

Akiko Sakuraba said...

Hi,
I must say, I love your recipes- even if they are extremely difficult to make in Japan. I made these cheese straws today, and I couldn't buy sharp cheddar because of the $5 per little block at my local grocery- I did buy Parmegino Regianno, however, in little sampler chips. I am a college student, so I have to be careful on price. I replaced the cheddar with thin shredded mozerella, and although it's not the same, I can smell it in the oven right now, and it smells amazing!

I also replaced the puff pastry dough with pie crust dough, since they didn't have that at the grocery as well.

Think you can make a video on some healthy meals that require simple ingredients and are not too expensive?

Jakjak said...

Love you Chef John!
It's always fun to watch you and try out your recipes.

camman79 said...

For morning try cinnamon and sugar or powder sugar after cooked

Shirley La said...

Do you know how long these stay crisp for? I want to make them as an appetizer for an event.

Chef John said...

Sorry not sure, I've always eaten right away.

Unknown said...

Hi can I use a Dec friend kind of chess and if yes what can I use ty



Unknown said...

I did find fresh puff pastry at Walmart in Colorado Springs. Nice blog, trying the cheese straws now................looks yummy!

Ecolo Straw said...

I loved your recipe but talking about real straws;
Ecolo is providing the sugarcane straw (さとうきびストロー) that can be beneficial for the environment because it does not spread the pollution.