Herbed Cheese Straws

I made these for the guys' poker night last week - I always put myself in the guests' shoes in the sense that I would love to have a wide selection of drinks and also little nibbles. Yeah, eat, drink and merry!

I have already made chocolate chip cookies and wanted something savoury and cheese-y that would go well with beer. I came across this recipe from BellaOnline.

My modified version below :

Ingredients :

200 to 225gms sharp cheddar cheese, grated
100 to 125gms Mozzarella cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 cups plain flour
60gms unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground hot chilli
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tsp dried mixed herbs (I used Italian herbs mixture)
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Directions:
1. Cream butter and the 2 cheeses.
2. Combine flour, salt, chilli, paprika, herbs and worcestershire. Mix into the butter-cheese mixture.
3. Using a 1/2cm pastry tip, draw out into individual 2-inch little strips. Make sure some space for dough to spread.
4. Bake at 190 deg C until slightly browned, approximately 15 minutes. Once completely cooled, store.

Basically, I have used Mozzarella instead of Parmesan-Reggiano and added some Italian herbs to add a hint of fragrance. They were so delicious! I had to slap myself on the hand to stop gobbling them up! Personally, I thought it was almost impossible to get the worchestershire sauce to spread evenly throughout the dough.

I am pretty sure I wasn't the only fan - I came back after seafood dinner and drinks with the girls to find both cookie and cheese straw jars empty.

Some ideas from BellaOnline for these :

Serve on a dish beside a bowl of tomato soup and half a cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.

Serve as an edible dipping tool for guacamole dip; french onion dip or warm artichoke/spinach dips!

Tie several cheese straws together with a green onion leaf and present inside a beautiful tin along with a packet of your own BBQ rub as a welcome gift for new neighbors or work colleagues. (I love this idea!)

The cheese straws are a great background flavor for testing hot, sweet and savory spices!

Serve a dish of your cheese straws with slices of tomato, apple and cheeses with chilled wine for a spicy twist on a simple appetizer.

Cheese straws add wonderful crunch when crumbled over a salad or crumbled inside a wrap or sandwich! Enjoy this spicy, versatile little cheese powerhouses!!