Parmesan Cheese Crisps

These easy to make umami parmesan cheese crisps are perfect for salads, soups and dips or just eaten as a snack on their own.

You probably have eaten parmesan crisps many times before. Chefs love using them in restaurants, to garnish their dishes, like Caesar Salad for example.

These appetizing crisps add a delicate texture, that can lift any dish. Not only are they a lovely crispy element, they also add saltiness and boy! do they look good!!

Ever wondered how to make these delicious, crunchy cheese crackers?

Well, they are not that fancy and all you need is one ingredient, an oven and 20 minutes of your time, so let's get to it!

PARMESAN

Parmesan is the only ingredient needed to make these cheese crisps. Now for this recipe, I really recommend buying a whole piece of parmesan.

Don't buy parmesan that has already been grated as it is processed and also has sometimes additives. This might change the outcome of the crisps, and that's not in a good way!

The parmesan I used, was a twelve month old parmigiano reggiano from North Italy but a six month old parmesan will also do!

Anything more than 12 months will be too strong and honestly, you don't need to break your bank account over cheese crisps😄

TOOLS NEEDED

I do recommend investing in the below mentioned tools. I use them all the time and these can really make your life much easier in the kitchen.

• Micro grater or microplane is a tool used to grate something really fine. Cheese grated last minute over pasta, can make it look like a restaurant dish and you will never buy grated cheese again!
• Silpat mat or baking mat is used mostly for baking. They are great for baking cookies, tuiles and especially meringues.

HOW THEY ARE DONE

You can bake these parmesan cheese crisps in any shape you want, if you have a ring mould or something similar. I prefer baking the grated cheese in a tray and then breaking it into different sizes - it looks more natural and saves me a lot of time.

To start, line a tray with a baking mat or baking paper. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Now using a micro grater, start grating the parmesan over the baking sheet as evenly as possible.

Cover the entire baking sheet with a thin layer of parmesan and then repeat with a second layer. Make sure you aren't able to see the baking mat through the layers of parmesan, if you can, then you will need to add another layer.

Now place the tray in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the tray from the oven and allow it to cool completely before breaking the parmesan sheet into smaller pieces.

how do you know if the crisps are done?

Well, if you haven't done them before, I better explain what to expect.

1. The cheese will melt and start to bubble lightly.
2. The colour of the cheese will turn from yellow to orange.
3. Next you will see the borders stop cooking, while the middle is still moving.
4. When the middle starts looking like the borders, you can take the tray out of the oven.

what if they are chewy?

Here is a tip - When you take the tray out of the oven, switch off the oven and leave the tray to cool on the kitchen top. If the parmesan looks like in the picture below, the parmesan crisps will be chewy.

This means, the parmesan needs a bit longer to cook, so pop the tray back into the switched off oven and leave it in there for 5 minutes.

The oven will still be hot enough to cook the parmesan crisp without burning it! Keep checking every 5 minutes, until it crisps up!

HOW TO STORE THEM

Like with anything crispy, these parmesan crackers will turn chewy if not stored correctly. The best way to store them is at room temperature, between pieces of baking paper in a tightly sealed container.

Unfortunately, they will not stay crispy if exposed to humidity or moisture.

When stored correctly, they will be fine for up to 3 days however they are best eaten the same day you make them!

VARIATIONS

Parmesan chips are extra delicious when some more flavours are added to them. You can use herbs like thyme, rosemary or spices like black pepper or chili flakes.

You can also add your favourite seeds, like sesame or linseeds. Or try a different cheese, it works great with cheddar too!

WHAT TO USE THEM FOR

There are many uses for these addictive parmesan crisps:

• on top of this jerusalem artichoke soup
• as a topping for salads like this cos heart salad with bacon or this roasted fig salad
• as a canape garnished with homemade ricotta

Do you love the taste of parmesan? If yes, we have more recipes that you might enjoy making. Try this asparagus and parmesan crostata or these cheese gnocchis that are so cheesy good!!

As the saying goes....the secret ingredient is always cheese😉