Edna Lewis' Game Changing Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws

Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws

Not only was Edna Lewis a tall, commanding woman but she was a giant in the culinary world as well. Edna was born in Freetown, Virginia, in 1916, which was a small farming community. She was the granddaughter of one of the founding fathers. Edna would grow up to be a great chef, culinary ambassador, caretaker of genuine Southern cooking and deserving of her place on the list of 50 Women Game Changers. She lived her life with grace in often difficult times and epitomizes what the South and Southern cooking means to me. She went on to become one of the best known Southern cooks of her generation and someone who cared deeply about preserving her heritage and all Southern cooking.

On About.com it says," Edna acquired her cooking skills and love of freshness and seasonability growing up in Freetown, where such things were a part of life. She learned most of her cooking from her Aunt Jenny. They used a wood-fired stove for all of their cooking and didn't have measuring spoons or scales, so instead they used coins, piling baking powder on pennies, salt on dimes and baking soda on nickels. Edna could tell when a cake was done by listening." 

Edna left Freetown when she was 16, after her father passed away and eventually moved to New York City where she met and married Steve, a retired merchant seaman and a Communist. She became interested in political causes and her life gained momentum.

In New York Edna's cooking made her a local legend. She met John Nicholson, an antiques dealer, and in 1949 the two decided to open Café Nicholson on the East Side of Manhattan which was a huge success story. She did all the cooking and shared delicious Southern dishes earning high accolades from her patrons, famous or not.

Miss Lewis, as she was almost always called, went on to cook elsewhere and in the early 1970s published her first book, The Edna Lewis Cookbook after needing  break due to a broken leg. Edna and her book caught the attention of legendary Knopf editor, Judith Jones, who published The Taste of Country Cooking, the book that put Miss Lewis firmly on the culinary map. Her next book, also with Judith Jones, was In Pursuit of Flavor. Edna's books are as much personal memoirs as a collection of recipes. They contain wonderful histories of Southern food and reflections on rural life. Her books are full of tips acquired from  a lifetime of cooking. Edna's pioneering chapters on fresh foods and seasonality predate the American culinary revolution. She will be sorely missed. Watch this amazing video starring Edna Lewis herself called Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie which chronicles her life.

One of our simple pleasures in life is navigating the blogging community and participating where the feeling takes us. Our group is now well past the halfway point on the list of Gourmet Live's 50 Women Game Changers. The past ninth months have flown by as we experimented with dishes from each of the 50 influential women on "the list." Whether you agree or disagree with the authors chosen fifty and their order it has been an enjoyable and creative outlet to cook from the masters and those we admire. There have even been a few successful bloggers on the list. We have checked out books from the library, borrowed cookbooks from friends, surfed the Internet and browsed our own cookbook collections seeking that one recipe that will highlight that weeks outstanding woman. This group is spearheaded by my favourite well-travelled blogger Mary of One Perfect Bite who back in June 2011 invited bloggers to travel along on a culinary journey throughout the year. It is still not too late to join in in 2012. 


What have we been up to with our latest Game Changer....

Mary of One Perfect Bite - Potato and Parsnip Soup

Val of More Than Burnt Toast - Old Fashioned Cheese Straws

Susan of The Spice Garden - Lane Cake

Taryn of Have Kitchen, Will Feed - Cheese Straws

Heather of Girlichef -  Braised Beef Short Ribs with Whipped Rutabagas

Miranda of Mangoes and Chutney - Hoppin John

Jeanette at Jeanette's Healthy Living - Brunswick Stew

Sue of View from The Great Island - Grits

Barbara of Moveable Feasts - Blanc Mange

Nancy of Picadillo - Potato Casserole

Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits -Sour-Milk Griddle Cakes with Stewed Blueberries

Veronica of My Catholic Kitchen - Feather Light Yeast Rolls

Claudia of Journey of an Italian Cook - Busy Day Cake

Alyce of More Time at The Table - Best Biscuits

Amrita of Beetle's Kitchen Escapades - Devilled Eggs

If you grew up in the South thin, crisp pastry sticks with the tang of cayenne and sharp Cheddar cheese would have been present at every celebration. These cheese straws taste remarkably like goldfish crackers which is perhaps what drew me to the recipe. They have a bit of zing and a true cheesiness from good Cheddar cheese. I cut them into short, twisty sticks and served them standing straight up in large cups, along with pitchers of sangria and platters of fruit skewers at a brunch. Unlike many baked goods, they improve in flavour when they're made a day before they're served. They were gone in nearly as little time as it took to make them, which isn't saying much!

**Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws**

• 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature cut into pieces
• 1/2 lb (2-1/2 cups) 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons water

1. Sift the flour, mustard, salt and cayenne into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cheese and butter on low speed until well blended. Gradually beat in the flour until completely incorporated. Add the water and beat for 1 minute.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5 times. On a large sheet of wax paper, roll the dough into a 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Slide the dough onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until chilled, about 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 425°. Cut the dough in half crosswise, then cut it into 6-by-1/4-inch strips. Transfer the strips to 2 cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time for about 14 minutes, or until the cheese straws are golden brown and crisp. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

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