Some food historians trace a link to the British \u201cbiscuit.\u201d Others cite the biscotti and hard breads of Italy and Spain. But wherever cheese straws originated, they\u2019ve found a real home in the South. Not surprisingly, they\u2019ve seen their share of recipe tinkering.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were making cheese straws using scraps of leftover puff pastry, rolling them in cheese and rosemary,\u201d says Brian Noyes, owner of Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton, Virginia. \u201cAlthough these were tasty treats, I felt a bit like we were cheating because I remember the cheese straws my North Carolina grandmother made. They were thicker, cracker-like snacks, very flaky but firm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making cheese straws was once a way of preserving cheese in the hot and humid South. But nothing enhanced their appeal like a good cocktail, and they became immensely popular in the canap\u00e9-crazed fifties and early sixties. Inspired by today\u2019s artisan spirits revival, Noyes adapted his grandmother\u2019s recipe, adding elements from his aunt to create a \u201cnew-old\u201d version of cheese straws. \u201cI\u2019ve combined my two family versions into a long, hard cracker straw with a good bit of heat, a hearty hit of three cheeses, and a nice rosemary finish,\u201d he says. \u201cMy puff pastry days are over. I\u2019ve seen the light.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This favorite Southern snack has just the right amount of bite<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":35557,"template":"","categories":[1780,2391],"tags":[34,50],"authors":[1825],"issue":[2378],"recipe-type":[2502],"class_list":["post-715","recipe","type-recipe","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-drink","category-recipes","tag-anatomy-of-a-classic","tag-recipes","authors-francine-maroukian","issue-dec-10-jan-2011","recipe-type-party-bites"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n