Cheesy affair - Cheese Straws

Have you heard/seen a nut who travelled for almost 600 kms with her swollen ankle ?? No??You are reading her blog then!!! :P I actually cancelled my plans due to my heavily swollen ankle ( I just couldn't walk a step) BUT I'm crazy about travelling & so when my cousins came home on their way to Alleppy, I joined them!! :) Must admit it was very hectic!! 2 days and 600 kms car journey ( with 3 boys in a jam packed Mercedes!!) Nevertheless it was awesome...as it included a relaxing house boat trip!!! More of it in the next post!! :)

When I got back yesterday, I checked my mails and my blogger. Felt kinda lazy to get back into full swing blogging...not because of not having anything to blog about BUT because of my crazy keyboard!! The 'w' 's' & 'spacebar' does not work!! So everytime I need to copypaste the alphabets from a word document and almost kick my space bar to work!! PHEW!!! It's very tiring!!

But when Divya Kudua scrapped me on orkut saying "Hey Ria..I am having a big smile on my face after reading Jobin's testimonial for you.I guess you two are hopelessly in love isn't it..:)??Good good.Btw..how was your Ekm trip..??No updates in Blogger and Twitter..??You are missed baby..:) " I realised I really need to get my laziness outta me!! And here I am!!! :) Thanks Divya!! :)

Today I am going to a talk about a melt-in-mouth goodie!! Yes! Cheese straws!! :) It might not look like straws but that's the size the recipe called for! :) This recipe will give you an amazing highly guilt-loaded result!! :D It's soooo cheesy!! :) It's real crisp and can beat any store bought cheese straws!!

Cheese Straws
Recipe adapted from 'The Cookery Year' by Reader's Digest

4 oz cheese pastry* (recipe follows)

Roll out the prepared pastry as thin as possible to a rectangle. Trim the edges evenly and then cut into strips, 1/4 inch wide and 2 inch long using a floured knife blade. Set the straws on a greased baking tray and bake just above the centre of a pre-heated oven at 200 deg C for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Leave them to cool in another plate ( wire rack was suggested but because they are small it will fall down through the space in between the rack)

*Cheese pastry
Ingredients:
4 oz plain flour
Salt & cayenne pepper (I used Red Chilli powder)
2 oz butter or margarine(I used salted butter)
2 oz Cheddar cheese
1 egg yolk
2-3 tbsp cold water

Method:

• Sift the flour, a pinch of salt and a shake of cayenne into a wide bowl. Cut the fat & rub it into the flour with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
•  Blend in the grated cheese & stir in egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of water to ensure even distribution. Add more water to give a stiff dough.
  
• Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface and chill for 20 minutes.
  
• Dust your work surface with some flour and roll out the dough into 1/8" thickness. Cut them into 2" x 1" strips.
•  Bake them on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 mins or till golden brown. Store it in air-tight tins.
  

Verdict: Munching on a crunchy cheese straw is heavenly! :) It can be your perfect companion while you watch TV or as a snack for tea! :) I have been making every now and then! LOVE it!! :)

Hope you all have an awesome week ahead!!