Craig Claiborne was one of my culinary idols. If you don’t have his book Craig Claiborne’s Southern Cooking on your bookshelf, you are truly missing out. These cheese straws have been my favorite holiday snack for years.

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese — or blue cheese
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• salt — to taste
• 1/2 cayenne pepper — more or less
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Put the butter and cheese in the container of a food processor. Add the flour, salt, cayenne, and Worcestershire. Cover and blend thoroughly. If a food processor is not used, put the flour, salt and cayenne in a bowl. Add the butter, cheese, and Worcestershire, and using two knives or a pastry blender, blend thoroughly.

Use a cookie press outfitted with a hounds tooth or star dispenser. Push the dough out onto an ungreased baking sheet to make individual straws. Or, if desired, roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness and cut it into individual strips, which can be twisted if desired, or other shapes. Arrange the pieces on 1 or 2 ungreased baking sheets.

Place the baking sheet or sheets in the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the straws are crisp and lightly browned. If you wish a darker color let them cook longer. Remove and let cool.

Makes about 6 dozen.

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