Cheese Straws
from Jacque Pépin, The Complete Pépin

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
A little all-purpose flour, for rolling the pastry
About 3/4 pound puff pastry
Egg wash made with 1 large egg with half the white removed, beaten

Mix the cheese, paprika, and dash of cayenne pepper in a small bowl, and set aside. Sprinkle flour, as needed, on the work surface (preferably cold, like marble), and roll the puff pastry into a rectangle approximately 12 by 15 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. Brush the top surface of the dough thoroughly with the egg wash, and sprinkle it with half of the cheese mixture.

Lift the pastry, and turn it over. Brush again with the egg wash, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture, spreading it so the pastry is coated well all over. Most of the cheese should adhere on both sides. Fold the dough in half, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. You should have about twenty-four strips. Unfold the strips, and arrange them crosswise in front of you.

To twist the dough into twisted strips, hold one end of a dough strip with one hand and the other end with the other hand, and roll one hand toward you and one away from you, rolling the pastry under the palm of your hand so it twists. Twist about twelve of the strips, and reserve the remainder.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a tray with a piece of parchment paper that does not extend all the way to the end; there should be about 1 inch of the tray visible at each end. Arrange the twisted strips of dough about 1/2 inch apart on the tray, and press the ends of the dough onto the metal tray beyond the paper at both ends. The object is to make the dough stick to the pan (otherwise it would slide) so that, as it cooks, the strips don’t curl and change shape. Bake the strips for approximately 12 minutes. The straws should be nicely browned and crisp.

Trim away the ends of the pastry with a large knife, and cut across the strips to divide them into three pieces, each approximately 4 inches long.

Arrange the plain strips of pastry the same way as the twisted ones on a tray, pressing them onto the tray at each end. Bake in the 400-degree oven for 12 minutes. Cut each strip horizontally into three pieces.

Stack the strips of pastry on two plates, and serve with consommé, other soups, or as a snack or cocktail food.

Yield: 36 twisted straws and 36 straight straws