This is a game changer. Why aren’t we doing this all the time? They are so quick and easy you can prepare them in minutes!

These round wafers of cheese are like crisps/chips. They are basically small amounts of cheese that you melt then cool and serve as a little canapé.

They are such an easy way to make something a little fancy that goes really well with a martini. It only takes a couple of minutes to do it.

Here’s how to make them

Take some cheese, preferably the harder type (not soft or spreadable cheese).

My personal preference is for a pecorino because I think the sharpness pairs well with spirits but try out whatever you think works for you – and please share in the comments!

Grate the cheese fairly finely.

You can also do this with slices of cheese instead of grated cheese but the cooking process will take a little bit longer (more details below).

You can either do the next stage in the microwave or in an oven. We have an Aga at home and given that fuel is so expensive I thought it would be best to put it to use while the thing is on (we will be turning it down after the festive period is over).

The aga is set on high so I would recommend a fairly high oven temperature as well. You could perhaps do this at the same time you are making a roast or cooking something else. It feels like it would be slightly wasteful to heat the oven up just to make some cheese crisps. The microwave option (details below) is just as good.

Lay some baking paper on a tray, then make little mounds of cheese, evenly spaced across it.

The mounds should be about 3-4cm across and about 1.5cm tall. Leave gaps of about 2-3cm between each mound because they will melt and spread and you want to keep them separate from one another.

Put the tray in the top of the oven and let it cook. It won’t take long so keep an eye on it!

These were melted and bubbling after 2 minutes but it’s freezing outside so our aga was set to its maximum temperature. It might take longer if your oven isn’t on high.

Timing

Don’t leave them cooking for too long or they will become bitter and then burnt.

Timing can be fairly critical. It’s best to hang around nearby the oven and be ready to intervene and remove the tray when the cheese is flat, bubbling and once it has started to colour.

Don’t wander off and do a different task and don’t allow anyone to distract you with mindless conversation for those critical minutes.

Note that you can remove the tray before the golden colour change if you want, so long as they are melted and bubbling. They might not be as crispy but they will still be tasty.

When you remove the pan leave it to cool for about 5 minutes then you can gently peel the cheese slices off the paper. They won’t be crunchy when you take them out the oven but they will crisp up in a few minutes.

You can plate them up and serve them as a warm, moreish snack. You can also leave them to cool down, then store them in a sealed container to serve later (within 24 hours ideally) or you can just leave them lying around in the kitchen… I promise you – they won’t last long!

You could also serve them directly as a martini garnish, or you could serve a small stack of them alongside a martini. If you really like your cheese, perhaps you could try mixing yourself up a Parmesan Cheese Martini to accompany the snack.

There’s something very appealing about the contrast between warm, crunchy, umami cheese and a dry, almost astringent, ice cold martini that is hard to beat.

Using a Microwave

If you’re going to make these in the microwave use a plate rather than an oven tray or tin. You might have to trim the edges of the baking paper so that it fits and you won’t be able to make so many at a time but the end result is just as good.

Once you have arranged the cheese mounds on the paper on the plate, put it into a microwave and heat on full for 1-2 minutes.

As above, keep a close eye on it as this takes place. Depending on your microwave strength they might be ready before the time is up. Keep an eye out for when they bubble and spread and stop the cooking when they start to turn a golden brown colour. Make a note of the amount of time it takes to make yours in your machine and use this as a guide for yourself when you make them again in the future (spoiler alert: you WILL make these again in the future).

Remove them from the microwave and let them cool for five minutes. Peel the cheese gently off the paper and place the wafers on a plate to continue cooling while you carry on and cook more.

As mentioned earlier, you can make these using slices of cheese rather than grating it.

It will take a couple of minutes longer for the cheese to melt so perhaps use this method if you have other things you need to prepare in 5-10 minutes as well (like other canapés).

Note that this doesn’t seem to work with soft cheese by the way – as you can see from the above experiment.

After you’ve let these little wafers cool down they are utterly delicious, reassuringly unhealthy and guaranteed to delight.

Enjoy!