Cayenne Cheese Sticks

These would have been sprinkled with sesame seeds, but I forgot. They're phenomenally easy and a great way to use up those cheese rinds in your freezer. You DO save your ends and bits, right? I keep a plastic bag with all the tiny bits of cheese that are left over from other projects just for this recipe. It doesn't matter what you use: this particular batch was a mixture of mozzarella, Swiss and Parmesan, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

1/4 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) grated cheese
1 cup flour
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you're brave)
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Pulse all ingredients but milk in a food processor (or use your hands) until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk and form into a ball. Knead a little to combine. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into strips, transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.* Switch racks halfway through baking time. Cool on racks and store in airtight containers.

*If you're blessed or cursed with a gas oven, as I am, note that it's best to cook these on parchment paper. Halfway through the cooking, remove the pan from the oven, pick up the edges of the paper and lift out the crackers, then carefully flip them over into the pan again. This ensures that both sides get nice and brown. (If they don't, you can always double-bake, like biscotti).