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New Year's: Parmesan Wafers

Source of Recipe


From "The Savannah Cookbook" by Damon Lee Fowler



List of Ingredients



• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  
• 8 ounces (about 1½ cups) pastry flour
  
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, to taste)
  
• Salt
  
• 1/3 to ½ cup ice water
  






Instructions



1. Using a mixer or food processor fitted with a steel blade, cream butter and cheese until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, cayenne, and a small pinch of salt. Work flour into creamed butter and cheese until smooth, then work in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until it is just holding together (you may not need all of it). Gather it into a flat disk, wrap well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
   
   
2. Position a rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°.
   Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin, and roll out dough to thickness of a standard pie crust (about 1/8 inch).
   
   
3. Using a small biscuit cutter (1½-inch) or decorative cookie cutters, cut into rounds or fanciful shapes. The scraps can be carefully reworked; gather them into a smooth ball, wrap well, and refrigerate for 20 minutes before re-rolling and cutting. Transfer rounds to an ungreased baking sheet using a thin, flexible spatula, spacing about ½ inch apart, and bake until pale gold, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
   
   Makes about 4 dozen.