Peppered Parmesan Crisps

It is amazing how easy and elegant these are. My husband Brandon and I were at a new restaurant last night, Orupa in Salem, Or. and one of the dishes coming out of the kitchen, had one of these tasty morsels sitting atop it. Brandon and I looked at each other and silently came to an agreement that I should make some of these.

Needless to say, we ran to the store and grabbed some shredded parmesan. Luckily I asked for a silpat (a non-stick silicone baking sheet) for Christmas, which was waiting patiently rolled up in my cupboard waiting for just this occasion. If you do not have a silpat, which I recommend getting one, they are relatively inexpensive. About $10-$20 depending on the size and where you get it. Check out target or Amazon.com.

However, though I have not tried it, you should also be able to use parchment paper. Just make sure it says non-stick on the package. Though most does, I have found some that does not which means you will have to grease down your paper before using it, which in my experience, is kind of the whole point of parchment paper in the first place. Check out the Pampered Chef or Reynolds brand.

Ingredients:

1 5 ounce container - good quality, shredded parmesan cheese

Fresh ground pepper - to taste

Directions:





Place Silpat or parchment paper on top of a large metal baking sheet. Pre-heat oven to 425.

With atleast an inch of spacing between, place large pinches of cheese in little mounds on top of a silpat sheet or parhment paper. Sprinkle desired amount of fresh ground pepper on top of each mound of cheese. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until all cheese is melted and edges are golden brown. This will give you a chewy center. If you like your crisps extra crispy, bake for another 1-2 minutes until the centers start to brown and the edges are a little darker.