Little Holiday Cooks | A cracker that looks like a magic wand

Do the children want to participate in the preparations for the Holidays? Every week until Christmas, we offer you a simple and festive recipe that they can cook with the help of their favorite sous-chef. Today: parmesan straws.

They can be rolled to be long and thin, like magic wands or swords. Make them smaller, to eat them in one bite. You can also decorate them as you wish, by sprinkling them with fleur de sel, sesame seeds or paprika. The parmesan straws offered here are an invitation to explore your creativity.

“It’s a bit of a Christmas DIY, this recipe,” says Martine Fortier, co-author of the book I’m the boss, over the seasons, from which this elongated cracker is drawn. “We make a paste, cut it and twist it to make straws. We put them in the oven. Then we decorate them. »

“It’s fun to eat with a soup, as an appetizer, as a cocktail, as a buffet… It’s a pretty versatile thing for the holiday season,” continues the person in charge of the CHU Sainte’s Health Promotion Center. – Justine.

I’m the boss, over the seasons is the second title in a series of books published by Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine that invites young people aged 7 to 15 to cook.

“We went with an eco-responsible food perspective. […] We cook according to the seasons, according to the food available. We encourage children to take a look at what they eat, what ingredients they choose and we talk about the importance of making food choices according to the seasons. »

Martine Fortier believes in the benefits of involving children early in the preparation of meals. “The younger a child learns to cook, the more he will integrate it into his lifestyle. […] Later, it will be easier for him to have a varied and healthy diet. »

“It becomes like a beautiful gift that we give him for life,” she sums up.

Parmesan Straws

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Waiting time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: about 20 straws, depending on the cut

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) flour
• 5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
• 2.5 ml (¹1/2 tsp) salt
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) softened butter
• 250 ml (1 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) cold water
• Different toppings (fleur de sel, paprika, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.)

Preparation

1. In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
2. Add the soft diced butter and, using a pastry blender, mix the butter into the flour until the particles are the size of a pea.
3. Add the parmesan and mix everything together.
4. Gradually add cold water and stir with a fork to form a sticky ball of dough.
5. Carefully wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
7. Roll the ball with a floured rolling pin until it is 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick.
8. With the tip of a knife, cut the dough into strips 1 cm (1/2 inch) wide.
9. Make a twist with each of the strips. Place them side by side on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone sheet, leaving a distance between each one.
10. Sprinkle with chosen toppings.
11. Bake the straws in the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Flip straws as needed.
12. Place the straws on a wire rack to cool.

I’m the boss, over the seasons

Text by Martine Fortier and Laurence Da Silva Décarie, illustrations by Jean Morin

Editions of the CHU Sainte-Justine

From 7 years old