Recipes
Cheese & Parma Ham Straws
A perfect pastry party appetiser with an Italian twist, these crispy crumbly straws won’t stick around for long – either...
Ingredients
- 225g plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 50g butter, cubed
- 50g lard, cubed
- 150g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 30ml cold water
- 1 egg, beaten
- 8 slices of parma ham
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner.
- Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl then rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in 50g of the Parmesan. Using a knife, stir in enough water to form a stiff dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 15 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll out the pastry into a rectangle the thickness of a £1 coin. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle over 75g of the Parmesan. Lay the Parma ham over the cheese.
- Cut the pastry into 1cm strips along the length of the rectangle using sharp kitchen scissors. Place the strips onto the prepared baking sheets, twisting each 5 or 6 times first if desired.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the strips and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Tip: Save time by using ready-rolled shortcrust pastry. Simply unroll the pastry and continue from step 3 of the recipe, adding 125g Parmesan instead of 75g.