Parmesan Twists (Recipe)

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame or poppy seed


Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350c.  Grease 2 baking sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, beat together the Parmesan cheese and the butter with an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy.  Beat in the sour cream.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour with thyme, oregano and basil. Beat the flour mixture into the cheese mixture.  Knead the dough lightly and divide it in half.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into two 12x6-inch rectangles.  Cut each rectangle into twenty-four 6x1/2-inch strips.

 

5. Before separating the strips, brush them with the egg yolk-water mixture and sprinkle them with the sesame seed or poppy seed.

 

6. Holding each strip by the ends, gently twist the pastry 2 or 3 times and place on the prepared baking sheets.

7. Bake the twists in the 350c oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove the twists and cool on wire racks.

Tips:

In a hurry? cut the dough into 1-inch squares instead of strips to avoid the time and work of twisting the strips.