Parmesan cheese crackers

[flamin lib]

These make great garnishes for pasta dishes.

Grate fresh parmesan cheese. Make tablespoon sized mounds on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Spread the mounds to about 1 1/2 inches. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Watch 'em close, they go from golden brown and delicious to just plain burned real fast.

They're done when they stop bubbling and just turn golden.

[Warpy]

1. You can also do 'em in a skillet

and it works as well with any grated cheese. The fat that renders out prevents them from sticking.

One of my favorite things is to plop a slice of smoky Provolone in the skillet and let it get nice and brown and crisp. Then I use it in place of bacon in a veggie BLT. It's wonderful that way.

[flamin lib]

4. I've not had good luck with softer cheeses. I've tried cheddar

but it burned before it dried out to the crisp point. Any tips on using other cheeses?

[Warpy]

8. In a skillet?

Spread the shreds very thinly and don't take your eyes off them. They go from crispy brown to charcoal and welded on in a flash.

[hippywife]

2. Yum!

I love crispy browned cheese! I always go for the slice of pizza that has the most slightly burned cheese on it. I'll have to try this.

How's the cookbook comin'?

[flamin lib]

6. Book's coming very slowly right now. Too many elections and too

many campaigns with too little time. *sigh*

Still, I'm storing ideas so if you have any send them my way. Remember the criteria:
easy to fix, make ahead possibilities, no exotic ingredients, easily multiplied (all my cooking is for two) and showy at the table.

H2S's pasta asparagus dish is being included and I have Hianese (sp) chicken rice, pot pies, basic steak & potatoes and working on a shrimp casserole ala etoffe. Need 'bout 7 more. Deserts include country style peach cobbler, Amaretto ice cream sundae, german chocolate crepes and classic crepes suzette.

The book's concept is gourmet dining for the kitchen impaired. Make ahead eases the timing, usually a major concern, and the appearance comes from my auto racing days; if it wont' go, chrome it! meaning that if it looks good enough everybody will be impressed.

[sazemisery]

3. You can also make parmesan salad bowls

Here's a video on how to make them:
http://www.bakespace.com/index.php?mode=listing&act=show&lst_id=19130

[flamin lib]

5. Now THAT is worth of trying at home! Not sure my flat-top range

will heat the sides of the skillet the way gas does but it's worth a try. Any idea how long they can be stored for make-ahead preparation? The crackers get soft if left out but they're easy to seal in bags or plastic boxes.

[sazemisery]

7. Just use a bigger skillet and don't

bring it up the sides. I have a flat top range also and I have done this many times. I wouldn't do them more than a day ahead.

[Warpy]

9. That's one more advantage to living in the desert

I never have to face soggy chips. I do have to face rock hard bread if the plastic bag hasn't sealed completely.

[Tab]

10. I've done that with PAM spray

Tastes great. If you can sprinkle in some white pepper (or even black pepper) - all the better.

But you're right - they bear watching. They can bite the dust real fast.

[Tab]

11. Oh, the way I usually make them

Because just working with cheese is tricky (not that this is better, just different)

Melt some butter in a pan.

Stir in shredded Romano or whatever you're using (I prefer Romano or Asagio or a few other ones over Parmesan, but for the purposes of this conversation, it doesn't matter).

The cheese MUST outweigh the butter. You don't need a lot of butter.

Salt, pepper, spices, or none - add them.

Continue as before. Mainly mix with some melted butter.

Very yum.

[Kittycat]

12. Do you think this will work with Asiago?

I have a chunk of asiago that I need to use before too long.