Cheese straws and cheese fritters

yesterday I shared a recipe from a hundred and thirty years ago which really hadn’t dated very well… I can’t imagine anyone wanting to serve crispy mackerel heads as a savoury to their friends to round off a dinner!

Here is something simple from the same book, Mrs A.B. Marshall’s Cookery Book, which I know my family would really like, pailles au parmesan –

Cheese straws

• ¼ lb puff pastry
• 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
• a tiny dust of coralline pepper (paprika)

1. roll out the pastry thinly, using the Parmesan and coralline pepper instead of flour cut into lengths 4-5 inches long and twist each strip and press onto a well-wetted baking tray (I think I might use a well-buttered one)
2. bake in a moderate oven for 10-12 mins
3. serve warm

… or maybe this one, fritot de fromage …

Cheese fritters

• Gruyere or good Cheddar, cut in pieces about 2 x 1 inch
• coralline pepper
• salad oil
• batter
• grated Parmesan

1. let the pieces of cheese sit in the seasoned salad oil for about 1 hour
2. dip each piece into batter then into boiling fat (or oil for our tastes)
3. fry 4-5 minutes  when they should be a pretty golden colour
4. remove from fat, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve at once