cheese straws
rating:375g ready rolled puff pastry
55g unsalted butter, melted
55gfreshly grated parmesan
2 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water
preheat the oven to 210C/425F/Gas7.
place the pastry on a floured work surface and roll out slightly to create a square. Using a large sharp knife trim the edges of the pastry so that the straws cook uniformly.
brush the pastry lightly with the melted butter and then cut the pastry in half.
on the first pastry half, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and a quarter of the grated parmesan. Spread the other piece of pastry with the sun-dried tomato paste and sprinkle with a quarter of the grated parmesan.
fold the bottom half of each piece over the top half and gently press down. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.
with a large sharp knife cut the pastry, lengthways, into 1cm/½in strips. Hold the ends between your fingers and carefully stretch and twist the strips in opposite directions. Place the twisted strips onto lightly oiled baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Place in the oven and bake for 10 -12 minutes or until crisp and golden.
remove the cheese straws from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up. Using a palette knife carefully transfer the cheese straws to a wire rack or serving plate.
