Cheese Roughs

Have you read any Kate Llewellyn, folks?  She is one of my favourite Australian writers/poets.  Along with her compatriot Helen Garner, these are 2 women whose works have meant a lot to me over the years.  Kate has written a couple of books describing her life in the Blue Mountains, gardening, cooking and writing, along with her books of poetry and travel.  

One of the recipes mentioned in her book The Waterlily is this one for cheese roughs, which turns out to be similar to a cheese scone. She was visiting her mother one day and asking about old family faves that her mum used to make.  Kate says she kept on about these recipes until one day her mum told her she could remember what it was. Out of her mum's memory and into her oven: "snatched from the grave as my Mother would say". 

golden and gorgeous

As Kate is now in her mid 70s, I assume this recipe from her mum's repertoire must be about the same age or older:=)  Kate does not give a huge amount of instructions, so just as with the historical recipes I have been cooking lately, this one too was a bit of guesswork.  You just have to know how much cheese to put in, and how hot a hot oven is, and so on.  But I think that's part of the fun of trying these golden oldies.


Makes 24 roughs:


ingredients:

2 eggs

enough milk/cream to make up one cup along with the eggs

2 cups self-raising flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup of your fave tasty cheese, grated - I used parmesan and cheddar

big pinch of sea salt

paprika for sprinkling over the roughs


Method:


Break the eggs into a cup

Fill the cup with enough milk and cream (or just milk OR cream) to make up a cupful

Pour this into a large mixing bowl and add the flour

Add the cayenne and baking powder

Mix this together and now add the cheese - or like me, if you are forgetful you whack the cheese in with the flour and mix it

Roll it/pat it out to a rough rectangle of 2.5cm thick

Now cut it out so you have pieces about 2.5cm wide and 5cm long
(check my photos if your brain goes huh?)

Place them on a lightly greased and floured baking tray

And into a 220C oven for about 12 minutes or till golden on top

Now take them out and split them in half lengthwise

And back on the tray (you may need 2 trays now) and back into the oven for another few minutes (I put mine in for 5 - you know, the slow oven)

Sprinkle with paprika and eat with lots of lovely, salty butter


Notes:


Don't worry about greasing and flouring the second tray - no need

You may not need the baking powder; my flour was a wee bit old so it needed the boost

You don't have to beat the eggs first; just throw the cupful of eggs and milk/cream straight into the bowl

ingredients

eggs and cream (and a bit of milk)

everything in the mixing bowl  

mixing into a doughy ball

pat out the dough  

cut into small rectangles 2.5cm x 2.5cm x 5cm-approx.:=)    

looking golden and crunchy on top

now split them and back into the oven 

split and toasted in the middle   

bring out that butter!

These are very scone-like, and I think you could happily just leave them in the oven for a few extra minutes at the start without splitting them, and eat as is.  But it's fun to try something a bit new, isn't it?  And this recipe is sooo easy and quick; always a good thing.

my cheese rough dough doodle