Everyone in the South seems to love cheese straws - the thin, crisp pastry sticks with the tang of cayenne and sharp cheddar - and they are always served at cocktail parties and church socials alike. They are almost mandatory at weddings: I remember receptions where the only fare was a silver compote of cheese straws, another of mints, and the wedding cake. Usually cheese-straw dough is piped from a cookie press and snipped into short lengths. Miss Lewis uses the simple technique of rolling out the dough and slicing off the “straws.” Cheese straws improve as the flavors mellow, so make them a day before serving, if possible. A tin of cheese straws makes an excellent hostess gift.
Ingredients
Mascarpone is a delicious fresh cow's milk cheese -- it tastes like a cross between whipped cream and cream cheese.
Cook to Cook: Rinsing the pot with cold water before pouring in the milk will save you some serious cleanup! The reserved liquid whey can go into soups, stews and curries, and be used to cook pasta and rice. It will keep refrigerated up to 3 days.
Ingredients
Sometimes brie is known as the queen of cheese. Brie is one of the classic French cheeses, white mold-ripened and lovely.
We will begin with a simple, fresh cheese, chèvre, which is one of the most basic of cheeses and a classic from France. Chèvre is only made from goat milk, so make an acquaintance with your local goat farmer. Chèvre is French for “goat.” According to my French auntie, Elaine, the proper pronunciation is “chev.”
This glorious cream cheese, caper, caraway seed, and paprika combination, spread over sour black bread or over slices of any dark or brown bread, is rhapsodically unbeatable.
A bite of aged goat cheese, then a fresh bite of tart-sweet greens punctuated with the crunch of fresh apple—this is a perfect marriage.