I think your dinner or cocktail guests will be mighty impressed with these super Impressive Herby Cheese Straw thingies. They’ll try to stop at one but they won’t be able to. So easy to make too! No big deal. But, yeah, they ARE a big deal. ‘Cause everyone loves cheesy herby baked thingies.
I’m not trying to imply your guests won’t be impressed with everything about your dinner party. Just throwing one is impressive enough these days. Who has time? It’s just that you’ve got to admit that these are mighty impressive straws of cheesy, herby baked stuff.
If you can impress this much with so little effort, why wouldn’t you? In fact, these are so impressive that they actually have “impressive” in their title. It doesn’t get any more real than that. Even though I had to put that word in the title myself.
Want to know something else?
I never used to serve appetizers. True that! I thought why serve appetizers and ruin everyone’s appetite for the main course? How silly. This just might be the best time to show off and let people know what you can do.
Its fun to be so, well, nonchalant about the whole thing. That is, if you can hold back your excitement at having made these.
“Oh, these? Yes, just something I whipped up a few minutes ago. Do you like them?”
They like them. They’re impressive. They’ve got cheese in them.
And like so many impressive treats and confections that come from the oven, these little lovelies came to me via the Joy the Baker blog. Its not that I didn’t know how to make these before Joy posted them. Its just that they never seemed so fun before she posted them. Whats up with that? Joy, that’s what. She can turn the world on with her smile.
You want to know something else?
I think I have a serious crush on her. No big deal. But yeah, it’s a big deal. She couldn’t know this but I first blog-met Joy in 2009. She made me blueberry muffins. Well, she didn’t really make me blueberry muffins. That would be weird on a first blog-date. When she posted banana bourbon bread pudding we were seriously blog-going-steady. For real. And we all know how much I like bourbon and banana.
You still wanna know something else?
I stood in line last weekend at her book signing! This is not the kind of thing I would usually do but, you know, this was JOY THE freakin’ BAKER. Joy is on a book tour for her new cookbook and I get a bit giddy when someone from Food Blog Land gets a book deal. I try to turn it out for that. That’s real. You go. I tried to act nonchalant but I couldn’t.
And OMG(!) there were a few hundred people there to see her! I guess a lot of people have a crush on her as well. We’ll just all have to share. While we wait, have a cheese straw.Yes. I made them. They were something I whipped up just a few minutes ago.
These are made with every baker’s secret ingredient: frozen puff pastry. If you don’t have any in your freezer you should go out and get some right away. Joy would want you to. With FPP you can turn just about anything into an appetizer or dessert at a moments notice Even a pizza! Now THAT is impressive, no?
Impressive Herby Cheese Straw Thingies
This post and the recipe are inspired by Joy Wilson of the delightful Joy the Baker blog. Joy’s first cookbook is out from Hyperion Press and can be purchased at Amazon. This recipe isn’t in it but 100 other great recipes are. I’ll blog one of them later, ok? I promised her I would.
This is what you will need:
- large egg, beaten
- few dashes of hot sauce
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold.
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- coarse ground black pepper
- coarse sea salt
This is how you make it:
- Preheat an oven to 375 F and center a rack. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat and set aside.
- Be sure you work with thawed but cold puff pastry. I like to thaw it overnight in the fridge but you can thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Unfold puff pastry carefully on a lightly floured work surface and roll out only a little bit. The puff pastry should measure about 10×12-inches, no more!
- Whisk together egg, hot sauce, and a splash of water in a small bowl and brush the egg wash over the surface of the pastry. On top of this you will scatter cheese and herbs, coarse pepper, and a bit of salt. Get creative. If you don’t have thyme use something else? I like chives too but my cat eats them all. She really does.
- Use the rolling pin or your fingers to gently press the toppings into the puff pastry.
- Using a floured knife or pizza cutter, cut lengthwise into strips about 1/2-inch thick. . Hold each end of the pastry and carefully twist several times. place the twisted pastry on the prepared sheet, about 1-inch apart.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. You can take the baking cheese straws out halfway through baking and gently flip them. Probably a good idea if you are using parchment instead of a Silpat.
- Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before placing in a large glass to serve. These will last up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature but they are so impressive you probably won’t have any left over. Save one for yourself to have with soup though.
I am so jealous of the face time you got with Joy and the signed book! I still am traveling down the blogging path without meeting a single one face to face, let alone one that has been published. I need to get to a Foodbuzz festival and those that are published better bring their cookbooks!
These thingys doe look tasty and I am glad you were inspired to make these. They look like they could be the chosen munch sticks at the movie night we have here-yum!
Oh my gosh! I really, really love your thingies. But then I always knew I would love any thingy of yours. Such cute thingies!
But, um – should I be jealous about this whole Joy thing? I am not good at sharing my blog crushes. K?
You’re opening yourself up to a lot of thingie jokes, but I’m sure you understand that.
Also, am I the only food person in the universe who has never heard of Joy the Baker? I adore people who bake things.
Haha the name is awesome – and the recipe and the photo 😀
Yum!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Latest: Rich Sticky Date
I am going to totally gloss over the thingies… As lovely as they are.
The coffee-marinated bacon from that book may or may not have been my lunch yesterday. I knew the powers of bacon; but I didn’t know that those powers multipled when marinated in coffee, brown sugar & molasses for a few hours.
She’s coming to Brooklyn in a couple of weeks – I will probably “brave up” the courage to take the train down to The City for that one…
Inspired! I saw these on Joy’s site and have been wanting to make them… Now I have even more reason to make them. Nice pic with the two of you 🙂 PS. I am coming back down to the OC next week! Maybe we can meet up?
These are quite impressive, especially the fun name! I think the last time I stood in line for a cookbook author’s autograph was for Nigella Lawson. But, right before that, it was Ina Garten.
Any recipe that has “thingies” in the title gets a big thumbs up for me. How EASY is this? And it looks so YUMMY! They’ll be getting served chez moi with a cocktail, I think!
OMG! This sounds like exactly what I’m craving for right now!! Amazing recipe and stunning photograph!
http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com
You’ve convinced me to buy Joy’s book…the cheese straw thingies are enough to sell me! I wonder if she’s coming to Indy????
Cheese Thingies?? Oh yeah! Definitely going to make these!
I discovered Joy after I started food blogging (well, I discovered all food blogs after I started food blogging). I must say, I have a little crush on her writing style and everything about her. No biggie. These cheese straw thingies are pretty fantastic, and that smile on your face says it all!
I was at that book signing too, I totally remember seeing you! She is such a sweetie, online and face to face. Your herby cheese straw thingies really are impressive, I think I need to make those next 🙂
Okay, I admit it was the name that pulled me here. Impressive cheese straw thingies. How can one resist a magnetic title like that! And yes, now I want one!! They look so light and well, impressive. Thanks for sharing.