Homemade Puff Pastry and Cheese Straws

Let me start off by saying that puff pastry is not that big of deal to make yourself. I say this because when my husband and I went to a brunch the other day with friends, R mentioned to someone that I was going to be making puff pastry and her response was, "You know, they sell really great puff pastry at the store." Well, challenge accepted. If I had been wavering ever so slightly about whether or not to make it myself, that comment pushed me over to the "I'll show you" side of things. It did take me about 5 hours to complete but so much of that is down time that really anyone can do it. You just need a few minutes every hour or so for a few hours. If at all possible, I like to know every single ingredient in what I'm eating, so to me its worth the time to make it myself, especially something I don't eat all that often.

That said, while I was going to photograph the whole puff pastry making process, my OCD kicked in and I couldn't handle the mess and the camera. Oh well. All you need are 4 ingredients; flour, butter, salt, and cream.

Puff Pastry
from Martha Stewart

Yield Makes 2 pounds, 11 ounces

Ingredients

• 1 pound (about 3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Weigh the flour accurately. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add 1/2 cup flour. Mix until smooth. Scrape this dough into a flat square about 1 inch thick. The square should measure about 5 inches by 5 inches. Wrap well in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine remaining flour with the salt. Gradually add the cream and mix until a rough dough is formed; it should not be sticky. Do not overmix. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 12 inches by 7 inches, wrap in plastic, and chill, at least 30 minutes.
3. Remove the flour dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Place the butter square at the bottom edge of the rectangle, and fold the flour dough over to completely encase the butter, sealing the edges by pinching them together and forming tight hospital corners at the edges. Wrap well in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes. **I would recommend longer (unless you have a super cold kitchen), it got soft far too quickly for me.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured board, gently pound the dough all over in regular intervals with a rolling pin. Working in only one direction (lengthwise), gently roll the dough into a 20-by-9-inch rectangle, squaring corners with a bench scraper and your hands as you go. Using a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour. With a short side facing you, fold the rectangle in thirds like a business letter, aligning the edges carefully and keeping each edge square. Turn the dough a quarter-turn clockwise, so the flap opening faces right, like a book. This completes the first turn. Pound across the dough, again in regular intervals, and roll out again to a 20-by-9-inch rectangle, rolling in the same lengthwise direction. Fold dough again into thirds. This completes the second turn. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
5. Repeat the rolling, turning, and chilling process for a total of six turns; always start each turn with the opening of the dough to the right, and always make your tri-fold in the same manner, that is, by starting from either the top of the dough or the bottom each time. By the sixth and final turn, the dough should be very smooth, with no lumps of butter visible. Use as little flour as possible for the rolling, and brush off any excess before folding the dough. If the dough becomes too elastic or too warm to work with, return it to the refrigerator until firm.
6. Wrap the finished dough in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use, at least 2 hours after your final turn, or freeze for future use.

**Make small indentations in the dough at the end of each turn so you won't lose track of how many rotations you've finished

Cheese straws; what can you say but yum. I mean can you really beat cheese and puff pastry. Then serve it with a nice, light, spring pasta like we did and you've got yourself a hit. The light and buttery pastry against the bite of an al dente pasta...perfection.

Spread the grated parmesan and press puff pastry onto it.

Twist sections and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet to chill for at least 45 minutes.

 The finished product. After cooling, enjoy.

Cheese Straws

adapted from Martha Stewart

Yield Makes 18

Ingredients

• 1 pound Puff Pastry about 1/3 recipe
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• or 3/4 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture (makes a great dessert by itself or with ice cream)

Directions

1.     Prepare the Puff Pastry.

2.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle either cheese or cinnamon-sugar mixture on a work surface. Roll puff pastry to a rectangle approximately 10 inches by 13 inches, pressing dough into cheese or cinnamon-sugar mixture to adhere. Press gently with rolling pin to adhere.

3.     Trim sides with a pastry roller. (You will have a rectangle that is roughly 9 by 12 inches.)

4.     Cut the puff pastry into 3/4-inch strips, and twist from one end to the other. Arrange strips, 1 1/2 inches apart, on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Chill twists on baking sheets until very firm, about 45 minutes.

5.     Bake the cheese straws in middle of oven until golden brown and puffed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cheese straws to a rack to cool.