1 post tagged “cheese”

Ana Karin has written about traditions in her family and how much they mean as they are handed down.  One of the things my Mom and her friends have done for the last 30 years or so is make cheese straws together.  Everytime I return to Richmond for breaks and vacations, Mom has stashed some away for me. She's tried over the years to send them - but they don't travel well at all. I've been known to hoard them. Steve didn't even know they existed the first one or two times he visited. They appeal to all of my Swiss German genes - butter, cheese, butter, more cheese + some cayenne kick.

A couple of months ago I pressed Mom for the recipe - but this isn't Bolivia. She insisted they couldn't be made properly without the contraption (a pastry press) the Richmond ladies use.  Only one lady in Richmond owns said press - that's why it's a communal baking experience.  Seriously - they say the press can't be found anywhere - even EBay.  We're pretty sure this is a ploy to keep the Richmond children coming back home periodically. 

Well, Deepak's new friend, Martha Stewart, has published a non-pastry press cheese straw recipe in my new favorite cookbook (discovered thanks to my sister in law), Everyday Food. I figure there is some junior staffer from Richmond on Martha's magazine in the same jam I'm in and begged the food designers for a solution. I've now tried the recipe and can report that even though their shape resembles fingers more than straws, they taste exactly the same as the Richmond recipe (especially made with extra sharp Tillamook cheese).