Sunday Rewind: Crispy Cheese!

As The Rantings of an Amateur Chef has been going since February of 2012, there are quite a few readers that have joined along the way. In an effort to bring back some great recipes that they may have missed, I will dedicate Sundays to re-posting a favorite that is at least two years old. I hope you enjoy! – The Ranting Chef

When I started low carb several years ago I was militant. Nothing that was over a small handful of carbs was allowed on the plate. No corn, no carrots and of course no chips or crackers. Unfortunately this meant a lot of the same things over and over. It is amazing how you miss the simple crunch of a cracker or chip. While you may get a crunch from a piece of radish or carrot, it is really not the same and I missed that “mouth feel” in addition to the taste. Many of the snacks I ended up with involved cheese and meat. While I love cheese, it got to a be a little much.

Back then the Food Network supported Low Carb by airing a show called “Low Carb and Lovin’ It”. The chef was George Stella, a professional chef who grew to over 400 pounds. When he decided he’s had enough, he embraced low carb and found interesting recipes to cook. I was a big fan of the show and purchased several of his cookbooks. You’ll see a number of his recipes on this blog in the future.

One show he made Cheese Crisps. While they looked good, I didn’t really believe that they could get crispy. Heat and cheese meant melted cheese, right? Gooey. Not crisp. Boy was I wrong, and glad for it! A thin slice of cheese, some heat and time, and a great snack that is low carb and healthier for you than the original slice of cheese. The recipe calls for Colby-Jack but as I had a whole brick of Monterrey Jack, that ended up being my cheese of choice. I imagine a softer cheese would have proven my suspicions.

As always, I started by preheating the oven (this time to 400 degrees). I thinly sliced the cheese, cut it into squares and spread them out on parchment paper over a cookie sheet.

Cheese Crisps

I baked the cheese for 7-7.5 minutes and started checking them at five minutes. These are not done yet.

Once they are browned (these might be able to use another 30 seconds, but I was impatient), take them out and slide the parchment onto a cooling rack.

You can see that the cheese that gets browned ends up like a lattice. There are little holes spread throughout the piece. Much of the oil in the cheese will bubble out. Quickly dab the cheese with a paper towel to soak up the oil. It will soak up more than you think and the more it does, the healthier the snack is.

Cheese Crisps

Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 7 min | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Colby-Jack cheese sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch slices about 1.5″ square

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the cheese slices on another parchment paper-lined baking sheet in rows—without any seasonings.

Bake both until well-browned and crispy, about 7 and 7 1/2 minutes. If undercooked, they’ll be soggy, so don’t be afraid to check them and put them back in for more time, if needed.

Cool the crisps completely before serving—as they cool, they’ll crisp up quickly. Store on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.

Source: Food Network