Flash in the Pan

We received a test shipment of a variety of cheese sticks from John Wm. Macy. For those not familiar with the concept of cheese straws, traditionally you roll out a sheet of puff pastry, cover both sides with grated cheese (Parmesan is a popular one), cut it into thin strips, twist each strip into a long spiral, and bake them. They can make a good appetizer. The John Wm. Macy variety are made of sourdough, not puff pastry, and have a number of flavors, including the original cheddar. Unfortunately, after trying a number of them, we all found them fairly bland. A sharper cheese would have perked them up with a little more bite. Sure, you could dip these into something, but if a cheese straw needs that, then it's missing something integral. Personally, I'd choose something else to serve - not that they are bad, but if I'm going to spend money, I'd rather get something that really grabs me.

Labels: appetizers, opinion, review, snacks