Parmesan And Poppy Seed Sticks Recipes

PARMESAN AND POPPY SEED STICKS

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions, just until it is soft enough to cut. (This should take about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature). Puff pastry should still be very cold. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with two racks.
• In a small bowl, mix to combine cheese and cayenne pepper. In a second small bowl, combine sesame and poppy seeds with salt, and set aside.
• Arrange cold puff pastry on work surface. Cut puff pastry lengthwise into two equal 5-inch-wide halves. Brush each half with beaten egg. Sprinkle one half with cheese mixture and other half with seed mixture. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut each half crosswise into twenty 1/2-inch strips.
• Working one at a time, twist each strip into a double spiral, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart. Using your thumb, press the ends of the strips down into the parchment to prevent unraveling. Transfer to freezer, and chill until very firm, about 20 minutes. (Refrigerator may be used for chilling but will take at least twice as long.) Check dough while chilling to make sure it stays twisted.
• Transfer the straws to the oven, and bake until golden, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking time for even browning, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the straws on a cooling rack.

PARMESAN AND POPPY SEED LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and grease.
• Toss the cheese and seeds together in a small bowl. Sit a 3 1/2in (9cm) ring or cookie cutter on one of the baking sheets and sprinkle a small handful of the cheese mixture into it, in a thin layer. Carefully lift the ring off to reveal a neat-edged disk of Parmesan and lay a lollipop stick on top, with the tip of the stick touching the middle of the disk. Repeat with the remaining cheese and sticks to make 10 in total (leaving about 1 1/4in/3cm spaces between them to allow for any spreading during cooking).
• You should have a little Parmesan left over, so use it to cover up the part of the lollipop stick resting on the disk.
• Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, swapping to a different shelf halfway through. The cheese should be lightly golden and bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and slide the paper off the baking sheets and onto a rack to help speed up cooling. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes until the lollipops have become crisp. Very carefully remove each one with a spatula. I like to serve these stuck upright into a box with holes in the top.

PARMESAN, POPPY SEED & CARAWAY TWISTS

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the flour, butter and cayenne pepper into a food processor, then whizz into fine breadcrumbs. sprinkle the egg and water mixture onto the flour, then pulse again until the mixture begins to come together. tip the mixture onto a board and gently squeeze the pastry until it begins to come together in a ball, adding more water if it feels dry.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. roll the pastry into a large a4-sized rectangle, roughly 20 x 30cm. Brush the sheet with the beaten egg and cut in half widthways. Sprinkle one half with the Parmesan and the second half with poppy and caraway seeds. lightly run the rolling pin across the top to press the cheese and the seeds into the pastry. Cut each half into 12-15 sticks. arrange on a baking sheet and chill for 10 mins.
• Bake for 8-10 mins until golden brown, then cool for 5 mins before lifting onto a wire rack.

POPPY SEED-PARMESAN CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out Puff Pastry dough to a 17-by-14-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer dough to a large baking sheet; lightly brush with some of the beaten egg, then sprinkle evenly with poppy seeds. Gently press poppy seeds into dough with a rolling pin, taking care not to stretch the rectangle further. Refrigerate dough until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cheese, paprika, and a large pinch of salt; set aside.
• Invert the dough onto the work surface, then brush uncoated side with remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese mixture; use a rolling pin to gently press cheese mixture into the dough. Return dough to baking sheet, cheese side up; chill until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
• With a pizza wheel or pastry cutter, divide dough in half crosswise to make two rectangles, each 14 by 8 1/2 inches. Cut each half crosswise into 28 strips (each 1/2 inch wide), for a total of 56. Twist each strip, then transfer to two large unlined baking sheets, pressing the ends onto the sheet to hold their shape. Refrigerate strips until firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until straws are light golden, 20 to 24 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cheese straws are best eaten the day they are made, but they can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If desired, reheat in a 200°F oven for about 20 minutes.
• Cheese Straw how-to
• After being rolled out and coated with poppy seeds and grated cheese, the Puff Pastry is cut into strips. The strips are then twisted and chilled before baking.