This batch of small savoury pastries is a variation on the idea of “cheese straws.” It uses pre-cooked cheese to give a crunchier texture and to enhance the cheese flavour. Brunchie Crunchies make lovely snacks and are excellent for party platters, lunch bags, or a picnic. The dough can be made the day before baking. Do pay attention to the different treatment given to the softer cheese and the harder cheese, for a really delightful result.

Yield: Enough sticks to fill a cake or biscuit tin measuring 7 inches wide by 3 inches high.

Bakeware:

Baking sheet, the larger the better. Please note that a ceramic or ceramic-coated pan may give crisper, faster results, so you’ll want to check on the straws after about 12 minutes of baking, and/or reduce the heat from 400°F / 200°C.

Also required:

Parchment paper, cut into approximate squares.

Ingredients:

I cup (2.7 ounces) of sharp tangy hard cheese, such as mature Cheddar or Cheshire

I cup of a second very hard, strong cheese such as Mimolette, aged Manchego, or Parmigiano-Reggiano (genuine Parmesan).

10 ounces all-purpose flour

6 ounces unsalted butter

One beaten egg for the glaze

Sea salt and fresh black pepper, also paprika, cayennne pepper, curry or cumin powder

Chives, two tablespoons, finely snipped (optional)

Ice-cold water, about 3 tablespoons

To make:

Grate one cup or 2.7 oz of the harder cheese, e.g. the Parmesan. Put this aside.

Slice off the remaining 2.7 ounces of the softer cheese (e.g. the Cheddar), very thinly, on the short side of the cheese block. Aim for slices about ⅛ of an inch thick.

Now create the cheese brittles. Tear or cut parchment paper into rough squares about 5 or 6 inches across (you can re-use the same squares if you want). Take three or four cheese slices and place these in the center of the paper, so that they form a small rectangle. Transfer to the microwave and cook on High for 40-42 seconds. Repeat, until all slices have been cooked. NOTE: Don’t attempt to cook all the cheese at once.

Break up the cooled cheese with your fingers into little bits, the smaller the better.

Add to a large bowl 10 ounces of all-purpose flour.

Add to the flour the seasoning:

Up to 1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Up to 2 tablespoons of finely snipped chives (optional)

Up to ½ teaspoon paprika, curry powder, cayenne, or other spicy seasonings you like. Sweet paprika will add colour even if you don’t want added heat.

Add 6 ounces of butter small chunks and slivers to the flour and mix well, working it into the flour with your fingers. Don’t allow the butter to get very soft or oily-feeling. Put the mix in the fridge for several minutes if this happens.

Add about up to 3 tablespoons ice water to the buttered flour, stirring with a fork, and squeeze the mixture with your fingers to test whether it’s coming together. If not, add a tiny bit more water. Then add all the cheese, mixing thoroughly to make the dough.

Flatten the dough into a rough square patty and chill in the fridge for a minimum of one hour, preferably 2 hours if you have time. You can also leave the dough overnight if you want to serve these fresh from the oven the next day — but this will make for a very hard ball, so you’ll need to bang it flat with a rolling between two sheets of parchment paper to make it workable.

Roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle about ¼ -inch deep (about the thickness of an ordinary pencil). Square off the edges with your hand or a knife. Patch as needed.

Cut the dough into two halves, to get two rectangles. Then cut about 2 inches off the top of each rectangle. Now cut the reduced rectangles into into thin strips, about ½ an inch across and 4-5 inches long. (If the dough seems soft or you’re working in a hot kitchen, put one rectangle into the fridge while you work on the other.) Cut the cut-offs into similar strips. If you want more uniformity you can roll the two cut-offs together into a new rectangle, before cutting the strips. But chill the newly-rolled dough for a few minutes first, and don’t overwork it.

Transfer strips to a plate with the flat of a large knife blade and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Beat an egg with a whisk or fork until yolk and white are well mixed. Using a pastry or basting brush, baste the strip tops with the egg.

In two batches, place strips on baking tray in a single layer and bake for 14 -15 minutes, until deep golden but not brown. Remove, let cool on a rack (allows air to circulate and the drying/cooking to continue), and serve hot. If not eating immediately, let cool further and store in a biscuit tin or an airtight container. To store for longer than two days, put in the freezer to retain crunchiness.

For a flavour change: Add finely chopped crispy bacon bits to the dough. Or substitute lard (cooked and hard-chilled bacon fat) for half the butter.