Candied Bacon Cheddar Straws Recipes

BACON AND CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Lightly grease a large baking tray with a little oil or line with greaseproof paper.
• Lay out the ready rolled pastry on a floured surface, sprinkle the cheese all over the pastry and fold in half.
• Roll out the pastry to roughly 25 x 40cm (10 x 16 inches). It should be wide enough to place 8 rashers of bacon side-by-side and just a little longer than 1 rasher of bacon in the other direction (see picture above).
• Spread the pastry with the mustard and then lay out the bacon so the bacon is just touching but not overlapping.
• Cut down between the bacon, so you have 8 strips, then twist each strip several times and place on the prepared baking tray.
• Chill the twists for a minimum of 20 minutes in the fridge.
• Just before you plan on cooking the cheese straws, heat your oven to 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F.
• Remove the cheese straws from the fridge and brush with the beaten egg.
• Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until golden on top and cooked all the way through.
• Eat as soon as they are cool enough to hold.
• Store any uneaten cheese straws in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 10 minutes at 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F or until piping hot all the way through.

CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put bacon slices in a bowl, season them with pepper and toss with the brown sugar. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top. Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the bacon. Top with another layer of parchment or foil and top it, squarely, with another baking sheet. The baking sheet will flatten the bacon as it cooks.
• Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check the bacon by lifting the top tray and parchment. If it is not golden brown and fairly crispy, resist the temptation to turn up the oven temperature, and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. Keep in mind that when you remove the tray and transfer the bacon to a serving platter or individual plates, the bacon will "crisp" up a little more. Be patient!

LORRAINE'S BACON-CHEDDAR STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a large rectangle, 1/4-inch-thick.
• Rotate the pastry so that the longer side is facing you. Spread the mustard evenly over the pastry. Lay the bacon slices on the pastry, long side facing you, leaving a small gap in between each slice. Trim any messy edges that spill over the puff pastry, to neaten the rectangle into a straighter edge. Sprinkle the Cheddar over the bacon. Cut in between each slice to form individual pastry-bacon strips.
• Carefully twist each strip 4 or 5 times, so it looks like a curly straw. Place on the prepared baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Chill in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the twists from the fridge and brush a second time with beaten egg. Bake until the pastry is well risen and golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.