Puff pastry? Tillamook Cheese? Who doesn’t love that? To satisfy my craving for pastry at dinner time I made savory cheese straws to take the place of bread. They are light, cheesy and a perfect treat to accompany any meal. The best part is, they are versatile. You can use any Tillamook Cheese that sounds good or matches your meal. I choose Tillamook Shredded Italian Blend but I’m now dying to try Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar. You can also use any herbs that you have on hand. The recipe calls for thyme but almost any herb would do.

Makes: 24

Ingredients
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
1 egg
1½ cups Tillamook Shredded Italian Blend
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine the egg with a splash of water and beat with a fork. Set aside. Grate the cheese if you are not using shredded cheese and set aside. Chop the fresh thyme or other herbs you are using and set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Roll out both sheets of puff pastry on a floured counter. You want the pastry sheets to be about 12 inches long. Brush the pastry sheets with the beaten egg mixture. Sprinkle the two sheets with the cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Using your hand, press the ingredients into the puff pastry to help them stick. Cut the pastry into 12 even strips. Twist each strip and place on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the straws are lightly brown. Turn the straws over and back for an additional 2 minutes.

What cheese and herb combination will you try?

* This recipe is adapted from Food Network.