While reading through the Hors d’oeuvres section of Mastering the Art of French Cooking to find another interesting recipe to try, I found this one for Galettes au Fromage. It was surprising to see it here, as my family have been making a variation on this recipe for as long as I can remember without knowing that it was in this book. We’ve been calling them Swits… no idea where that name or recipe came from, but I’ve seen other people call it a Cheese Nips or Goldfish cracker knock off. They’re all basically the same thing: a cheese cookie.

In those cases (and in this one too), cheddar cheese was used instead of Swiss, so the quantity of flour was increased to 1-1/4 cups. My recommendation is to use the oldest cheddar possible – 2 years old is good. In the past, I’ve used a cookie press to make different shapes which is fun.

Here’s what happened.

Grated the cheese.

Grated cheese.

Warmed the butter.

Butter.

Added all the dry ingredients.

Mixed that all together.

Batter.

Batter, formed into balls, then flattened (dip a small flat-bottomed glass into a bowl of flour, then press the glass onto the dough until the desired thickness is reached), with cheese on top.

Wafers ready to go into the oven.

Baked galettes.

Baked galettes.

Galettes au Fromage (and an excuse to use my adorable Oliver swiss appetizer plate from CB2).

Galettes au Fromage.

These cheese wafers are very good with wine!

The recipe is here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A99035-1997Oct8.html

GALETTES AU FROMAGE (Cheese Wafers)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

These featherweight wafers are often made of Swiss cheese, but you can use other cheese or a mixture of cheeses if you wish, and thus employ leftovers. The dough contains just enough flour to hold the galettes together while they bake, and 3/4 cup of flour is usually right for Swiss cheese. You will probably need more if you are using soft cheeses, and should always bake one as a test.

For about 30 wafers

1/2 pound (about 2 pressed-down cups) grated Swiss cheese or a mixture of cheeses
1/2 pound softened butter
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour, more if needed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Lightly buttered baking sheets
1 egg beaten with 1/2 teaspoon water in a small bowl
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese for topping

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Knead all the ingredients together in a bowl or on a board. The mixture will be sticky. Roll a 1-tablespoon bit into a ball in the palms of your hands, then flatten it into a cake 1/4 inch thick. Bake 10 to 15 minutes in a hot oven to observe how it holds together; it should spread slightly, puff lightly, and brown. If it spreads out more than you wish, or is too fragile, knead in 1/4 cup more flour and make another test.

When you are satisfied, form the rest of the dough into cakes and place on baking sheets. Paint the tops with beaten egg and top each with a pinch of grated cheese. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the galettes have puffed, and browned slightly. Cool them on a rack.