THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

¾ cup grated cheese

½ cup butter

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

2 tablespoons sweet cream

1 ¼ cup Five Roses flour.

Mix all other ingredients, then add flour.  Roll out and cut 6 inches long by ¼ inch wide.  Bake in moderate oven.

~Five Roses Cook Book. Montreal: Lake of the Woods Milling Company Limited, 1913.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• ¾ c. grated Cheddar cheese
• ½ c. butter
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 2 Tb. cream
• 1 ¼ c. sifted all purpose flour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease baking sheets lightly with butter.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the grated cheese, butter, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper and nutmeg.

Beat the egg lightly with a fork, and combine it with the cream;  then add to the creamed mixture, and beat all together, to mix thoroughly.

Sift the flour, and measure it;  then add it to the pastry mixture, and stir well to combine.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the paste to ¼-inch in thickness.

Cut the pastry into strips, 1/4 -inch wide, and six inches long, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Place the “straws” on the buttered baking sheets, and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Serve hot, as an accompaniment to salad, or soup, or as a snack.

Yield:  3 ½ to 4 dozen.

These are rich and crisp.  They reheat very well too!

A note from Patricia: Yes, I made these gluten-free by using 1:1 gluten-free baking flour, and yes, it was hard not to eat the entire batch. These are so delightful, and would be lovely added to a cheese board in addition to the above suggestions. If you’re feeling crazy, give them a twist before laying them on the cookie sheet (to switch up the look of them).

Cheese straws or cheese crusts may be served with the salad.

~Patented and Improved Methods of Preserving and Canning Fruits and Vegetables. Rondout, N.Y.: The Northwestern Publishers and Patent Right Specialists, 1890.