Blue Cheese Straws with Walnuts

Cheese straws are a ubiquitous Southern appetizer that somehow escaped my attention until my first year at university, when they were introduced to me by my then roommate, a dear upper-crust girl from Georgia. She and I actually had little in common. But we were as one in our enthusiasm for the astonishing care packages her family regularly sent from home, which always included a bounty of homemade Southern delicacies such as pickled peaches, chess pies, pralines, biscuits, cheese straws, and other similar wonders. Compared with the lackluster meals we normally subsisted on in our university’s cafeteria, these treats were manna from heaven, and we devoured them in short order indeed. I’ve been a great fan of cheese straws since then, and I mentally thank Fielding, my university roommate of decades past, every time I make them.

The following recipe is a variation on the traditional approach to cheese straws, which stresses very sharp cheddar as the key ingredient. I have introduced two additional flavor notes here that complement each other well in this dish, as in so many others: blue cheese and walnuts.

ingredients

1/2 cup unbleached flour
2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) blue cheese (or gorgonzola)
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) extra-sharp cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into 5-6 pieces
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons plain yogurt, buttermilk, or milk
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

preparation

1. Combine the flour, cheeses, butter, cayenne, and salt in the bowl of a food processor or chopper. Pulse until the ingredients are blended to the consistency of coarse crumbs.
2. Add the yogurt and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse until the mixture begins to form a ball. Add the chopped walnuts and pulse several more times until a smooth dough ball develops. Chill the dough, wrapped, until you are ready to proceed with baking.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, cut to fit.
4. Lightly dust a smooth work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a level 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick rectangle of about 6 inches in width. Using a long knife, cut the dough into thin strips, as shown in the above photo, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Cool to room temperature and serve. This recipe can be doubled.

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