Cheese Crisps
Sometimes in life, lots of small choices can pile up to the point that they look like one large decision. I stopped blogging one small delay at a time. It began innocently enough with a little frustration over a recipe that I couldn’t get just right. Next came vacation. While on vacation, I got a phone call from my doctor, relaying the results of a biopsy I had gotten the week before. It was cancer. Next came surgery. Then chemotherapy. Then, of course, the pandemic struck. In hindsight, the onset of the pandemic would have been a good time to hunker down, cook, and post. But instead, I just turned to cooking, and then more cooking. Long before I started blogging, cooking has always been my go to activity for when I need to process all the thoughts bouncing around in my head. At the time, like most people, I had all sorts of thoughts bouncing around in my head. Election years are usually like that. Plus, two of my sons came home to quarantine during the early stages of the pandemic. So the cooking went into overdrive. Finally another surgery rounded out the long stretch of putting off my blog. But happily my son’s girlfriend recently encouraged me to start blogging again. And I thought, yes, I’m ready.
My first recipe after far too long of a hiatus is Cheese Crisps. They are very cheesy, light, and delicate—so delicate I’d call them lacy. They make for a great appetizer to serve when guests are over (fingers crossed!). I like to make them and freeze them before baking. This way, I always have readymade appetizers in the freezer. Making a roux and adding it to the dough is an extra step that you may be tempted to omit—but don’t. It’s what gives the crisps their signature lacy texture.
For the longest time, I always formed the crisps using a cookie press; however, recently I began trying other methods and found the easiest method is to shape the dough into a log and thinly slice - and the resulting crisps were just as delicious as the more time consuming variations, along with a rustic appeal.
Cheese Crisps
Roux:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (1 ounce or 28 grams) flavorless oil (such as safflower or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce or 28 grams) butter
¼ cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) all-purpose flour
Crisps:
6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) cold butter
6 ounces (170 grams) cheddar cheese (either white or orange cheese) I prefer a very sharp cheddar; however, mild works as well
½ cup (0.6 ounces or 17 grams) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup (4.3 ounces or 405 grams) all-purpose flour (see note for accurately measuring flour here)
½ teaspoon (2 grams) dry mustard
¼ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
Begin by grating 6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) cold butter on the large holes of a box grater and then place the grated butter in the freezer while you do the rest of the preparation. It works well to grate a full stick of butter and stop when you have 6 tablespoons grated.
Place the grated cheddar, parmesan, one cup of flour, salt and dry mustard into a food processor. Blend to combine.
Prepare the roux by melting 1 ounce (28 grams) of butter together with 1 ounce (2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) of a flavorless oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in ¼ cup (one ounce or 28 grams) of flour. Cook for about one minute. Scrape mixture into the food processor and process until fully combined. Add the frozen butter to the processor and blend briefly to combine.
If using a cookie press, use the dough immediately (once chilled it will be too firm to squeeze through the cookie press). Add the dough to the press and push out all extra air before beginning to make crisps. Push through press onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. I prefer freezing the shapes before using as they retain their shape better when frozen but refrigerating them works also.
If making disks, shape into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm. When ready to use, slice into ¼ inch thick disks (but no thinner, or they will be so delicate that they will shatter).
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Place disks on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 14-15 minutes.
For baking cookie pressed shapes, bake 10 minutes for cold dough or 12-13 minutes for frozen dough.
The crisps are extremely fragile when they come out of the oven. Let cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet.
