Puff Pastry (Garlic) Cheese Sticks and a 'Crack' at a World Record

When I heard through the grapevine this week that on this coming Saturday (March 24, 2012) select Loblaw stores, including the Atlantic Superstore on Joe Howe, were attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels cracked simultaneously, I knew that I wanted a 'piece' of the action (and of course, a big ol' wedge of cheese).

This recipe is based one from the President's Choice website, with just a couple tweaks of my own.   They deem it an intermediate recipe, but I say it's easy peasy!                            

Puff Pastry (Garlic) Cheese Twists

Adapted from President's Choice

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed) (ie: PC Butter Puff Pastry)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp sea salt (I used my Epicure Herbed Garlic Sea Salt, which was excellent... you could also simply add a dash of garlic powder)

1 large parchment-lined baking sheet

An oven preheated to 400 degrees

First of all, grate yourself some cheese.  I think the folks at the Superstore in Bayers Lake have been practising their cheese wheel cracking skills as there was a mountain of rustic-looking wedges for sale last night when I went shopping.  

I used my new Microplane grater to grate it up and I loved how fluffy it looked, it almost looked like a plate of quinoa.

Once you have your pastry in about an 8 or 9 inch square, simply brush it with a beaten egg white (this was not in the original recipe, but I thought it would help the toppings stick when being twisted), and sprinkle on the cheese, poppyseeds and salt.  Lightly press the toppings down (again, to help more of the toppings stick).

Using a pizza cutter, I then sliced the pastry into thin slices, about half an inch thick.  Pick up a slice and give it a few twists and lay it on the parchment-lined pan.  They can fit fairly close together as they rise up, not out.  Continue with all of the strips.  Lightly brush any spots you see without toppings with the egg white and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden.

We had these today at lunch with some leftover soup and they were sooooo yummy!  These would go great with pretty much any soup, as a appetizer with some marinara sauce to dip them in, or with any Italian-inspired meal.

All Halifax area Superstore locations will be participating in the World Record-breaking cheese cracking attempt on Saturday, March 24^th, including Bayers Lake, Tantallon, etc. The Joe Howe location will be the place to be though – in attendance will be the Guinness World Record adjudicator, as well as a representative from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium in Italy who can answer any Parm-related question you might have.

Other Loblaw banner stores are participating in this event in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario, so check online or with your local store for more details.

What: Guinness World Record-breaking attempt for the most wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese cracked simultaneously.

Where: Joseph Howe Superstore®, 3601 Joseph Howe Drive, Halifax, NS

For a full list of participating Atlantic Canada banner stores, please visit:

Superstore.ca

Dominion.ca

SaveEasy.ca

When: Saturday, March 24 @ 1:00 p.m. ADT/1:30 p.m. NDT – Simultaneous cracking of Parmigiano-Reggiano

Who: Loblaw Companies Limited spokesperson, a representative from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium, world record adjudicator.

The current world record sits at 176 wheels and was achieved in 2008. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard Italian cheese produced in the region of Parma, Italy using the same recipe for almost 1,000 years. Parmigiano-Reggiano has been considered for centuries as the “king of cheese” with its amazing taste and crystalline texture. It is sold exclusively through the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium (or Consorzio).

Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post, just a great recipe :)