Easy hors d’oeuvres give a big bang for the buck: They afford huge pleasure and praise from guests for very little work. Like cheese crisps.
These are an adaptation of “frico,” the delectable crisp wafers made in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy, from fried Montasio cheese. Rather than frying cheese in a non-stick skillet to make single round crisps, make big sheets of them by baking them in the oven.
In this simple method, cheese is shredded, then tossed with a little flour to provide a stabilizing starch that will make it easy to remove them from the pan without breaking. The mixture is sprinkled onto a large baking pan lined with a non-stick liner such as a Silpat to keep it from sticking. In the oven, the cheese melts to form a thin sheet of molten, slightly caramelized cheese; as it cools, it hardens into a crisp, lacy wafer that breaks into charming irregular shapes. You also can form the raw cheese mixture into rounds before baking.
These lacy, free-form wafers are the perfect hors d’oeuvre to serve with cocktails, wine or Champagne. Your guests will think you possess great skill when you’ve done little more than grate some cheese.
Any number of cheeses will work with this method as long as the cheese has a balanced, pungent flavor and is firm–nothing softer than a sharp Cheddar, though it can be as hard as Parmigiano. (Avoid overly salty cheeses.) Each cheese will cook slightly differently because of their varying moisture content. Softer cheeses like Cheddar will spread more to become a uniform sheet. Harder cheeses will produce a weblike crisp.
The possibilities for flavoring the crisps are vast. A pinch of ground red pepper amplifies the flavor of any cheese without being overtly spicy. To build in a subtle smoky flavor, use one of the pungent, sweet or hot smoky chili powders commercially available, such as Pimienton de la Vera from Spain. Cumin, fennel and coriander seeds, whole or lightly crushed, add little blasts of flavor. Dried, crumbled herbs such as rosemary or thyme can be used too.
Beyond being spectacular hors d’oeuvres, crisps make fabulous garnishes. For example, dry Jack crisps are great with Mexican-style black bean soups. Use Cheddar like a pastry lid for roasted, caramelized apples and pears.
Parmesan crisps are the most compatible–wonderful with white bean stews or warm bean salads. Broken crisps also make great crackerlike platforms for eggplant or sweet pepper jams, caramelized onions or white or fava bean purees to serve as hors d’oeuvres.
Just about any cheese crisp goes well with a green salad, instead of a cheese course. They make a surprising embellishment to macaroni and cheese: extra crisp cheese to gild the lily.
It’s advisable to use a silicone baking mat, a Teflon bakeware liner or parchment paper to keep these crisps from sticking to the pan.
Roasted cheese crisps
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
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Yield: 8 servings
12 ounces sharp Cheddar, aged gouda, aged Jack or manchego cheese in one piece, chilled
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 teaspoon ground red pepper
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Shred the block of cheese lengthwise (longer shreds work better) using a box grater with holes about 1/4-inch wide. Place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the flour; toss gently with a fork to coat the cheese. Sprinkle with the red pepper; toss again.
2. Place a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper on a 16 1/2-by-11 1/2-inch sheet pan. Scatter half of the cheese evenly over the mat. Shake the pan gently to even the cheese out. Alternatively, spread the cheese mixture into circles, any size you wish, from 3 inches to 10 inches in diameter.
3. Bake until the cheese is molten and golden brown, about 14-15 minutes. Remove from the oven; cool. Blot up any fat with paper towels. Break the crisp into large pieces; arrange on a platter. Wipe off the baking mat; repeat with the remaining cheese.
Nutrition information per serving:
179 calories, 71% of calories from fat, 14 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 264 mg sodium, 0 g fiber