Numero Dos OR What Should Have Been "Cheese Straws"

I can hardly believe I have made it to the second of my collection of Mom's recipe. After much talk and disbelief, I think I might actually be doing this. And by "this," I'm also not sure what I mean - as I am sure anyone reading this blog is just as confused.

Nonetheless, I made my first attempt at Cheese Straws this week. I have made mom's Cheese Swits but never the straw version as I love the filling of the little turnovers and think I may have been deathly afraid of shaping straws in my early days in the kitchen. I decide on the Cheese Straws this week as I thought they would be an appropriate appetizer for the upcoming dinner party I am cooking at Dad's. This would take care of the issue of what to do with the goodies from this effort once they are baked and sitting in my kitchen. I won't put anyone through the fat/calorie discussion again, but this way I could just throw them in the freezer until the day of the party.

Cheese Straws were a staple in Mom's entertaining and holiday menus. I remember them well and actually never really liked them until my sister, Kate started making them when I was older. Sharp cheese was an acquired taste for me, but my mom loved it from childhood, I think. She would hack off wedges of it for a snack and would always sneak a taste or two when grating it for a recipe. It seemed she was always cooking with sharp cheddar cheese. "The sharper the better," she would say. Back then, I didn't get it at all. Now I do and I love cheddar cheese.

For anyone that is reading and is picturing the "white" cheddar cheese, stop that movie in your mind right now. I had no idea that cheddar cheese could be anything but orange until I hit college. Should I be embarrassed? In fact, I am not sure I knew that any cheese reasonably edible cheese could be anything but orange if it was sold in the US. When I moved to the north east, it was so bizarre to me to see white cheddar cheese. Don't ask why I never thought it was odd that the orange cheese was dyed once I learned that but, that is another denial story altogether. (I really did go to college and I promise I do question some things that I learned in the Widgen family). Now I don't much care either way, as long as it is yummy. And I learned along the way that the dye is natural (from annatto). At this point, I feel I need to know more so I did a little research - straightdope.com says...

"As near as cheese historians can make out, the practice originated many years ago in England. Milk contains varying amounts of beta carotene, the yellow-orange stuff found in carrots and other vegetables. Milk from pasture-fed cows contains higher beta carotene levels in the spring and summer, when the cows are munching on fresh grass, and lower levels in the fall and winter, when they're eating hay. Thus the natural color of the cheese varies over the course of the year. So the cheese makers began adding coloring agents. Therefore, dying the cheese eliminated color fluctuations. Nowadays the most common of these is annatto, a yellow-red dye made from the seeds from a tree of the same name."

Now I'm even boring myself with how much I've written before I've even started the recipe. So to start off, I had to call Virginia to find out how to actually shape the straws (told you I was scared). Even though, I have seen and eaten these many times, I realized I had no idea how these straws found there was to a straw like shape. Maybe a cookie press but I wasn't sure. Virginia set me straight that it was a cookie press with the star tip. Uh oh, I don't have one of those but I decide that a pastry bag and star tip will work better anyway.

So I grate the cheese and start contemplating the 2 recipes, one in Kate's writing (I think) and the other typed in classic 70's Mom-recipe box style. I go with the typed one as I decide that this may be the one that Mom actually used - since it's typed. I'll save you the pain of suspense and let you know I was very wrong but I'll continue with a bit more of the experience since they still weren't bad and they were much like Mom's cheese biscuits oddly.

When I start the recipe I am shocked that I actually have both paprika and cayenne in my cabinets. How zen and so not like me. That changes quickly as I get to mixing the dough and realize it is getting pretty stiff and springy. Its clear that the gluten is going crazy in this dough and I have over mixed.

And then I think...when I make the Cheese Swits, the dough doesn't look like this at all and there is roughly the same fat/flour mix and then... it dawns on me. There is no butter in this recipe. I review the 2 recipes again and it becomes clear - one has flour, cheese, butter and not much more. The one I chose doesn't seem like the Barnes/Widgen recipe I know. This one has leavening and no butter - uh oh. Doesn't seem right but I'm stuck with this dough so I keep going, feeling a bit defeated and disappointing. But this is part of the process and Mom would be gentle with me, I think.
At this point, I try the pastry bag and the stiff, sticky dough won't go through the star tip no matter how hard I squeeze or beat on it. (Side note: as I am channeling my mom, I have managed to find my way to my first case of arthritis. I am convinced she is trying to tell me something about taking care of myself now or maybe she is just trying to remind me that I am 40 and need to act it! ugh) Maybe the dough won't go through because I am not using a cookie press, but I have so many strikes against me at this point, who knows? So I decide to pull out the random huge pastry tip I bought in France that I think is for whipped cream or something french and fancy but have never used (shocker). That $.99 wasn't wasted - phew. It actually worked well as the dough was easy to manage and shape but these were not the Cheese Straws I hoped for and it is now clear that they won't be served at the dinner party this weekend.

Honestly once baked they had a mellow, cheesy flavor and soft texture (no they were NOT pretty) and did remind me of Mom's Cheese Biscuits. I might try them again and play around with the shape this time. They got quite puffy and the salt and cayenne give them a good kick. For the real deal Cheese Straws I am going with the recipe in Kate's handwriting for publishing and, clearly, I need to consult Kate before we actually publish anything, but the Puffy Mistakes might be very interesting with a little tweaking. It is nice to connect with the tried and true and also discover new recipes that mom might have liked just as much.

The "right" recipe:

1/2 lb grated sharp cheese
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Cream first 4 ingredients and then add flour just until combined. Pipe straws through a cookie press onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 - 12 minutes or until slightly browned.