Cacio e Pepe Frico
Updated December 19, 2018
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
¾ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese (about 2 ounces)
Freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving
5 milligrams cholesterol; 22 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram fat; 74 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss together the cheeses.
- Step 2
Arrange heaping tablespoon-size mounds of the cheese mixture on the baking sheets, spacing them at least ½ inch apart. Using your fingers, gently pat down each mound to flatten. (It’s O.K. if there are holes — the cheese will melt into a web.) Grind pepper over each round.
- Step 3
Bake until golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets until crisp, then transfer to a serving plate using an offset spatula.
Private Notes
Comments
I’ve made these for years and they’re a wonderful standby for serving with a glass of wine. They keep well in an airtight container for up to a week. A sprinkle of Herbes de Provence is a nice variation as is some chopped rosemary.
I make these in a hot cast iron skillet. Works perfectly and you can tell how brown they are.
I made these with cheddar cheese. My first batch did not turn out. They were chewy, not crunchy at all. Why? 1. I put the cheese on too thickly. 2. I did not let the crackers cool on the pan. Once I corrected these things, they were better. However they were NEVER so good as when I made them with Parmesan. I think that the cheddar is just too fatty/greasy to give an ideal result. Will only use Parmesan in the future.
I made these with using the TBSP as recommended, but found them to be too large. The next batch I made with 1 tsp and they were delicate one bite deliciousness. Quick, easy and tasty accompaniment to cocktail hour! Also, I sprinkled chopped walnuts onto the larger crisps before baking as suggested but they were just ok. For the smaller crackers I added about 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary to the cheese mix before scooping them onto the (aluminum foil covered) cookie sheet. Yum!
Super easy and tasty. Very salty - next time may do what others suggested and switch up the ratio with more parm and less pecorino. Would leave in oven 7-8 minutes (but watch them!) for a crispier texture. 6 min yielded some that were still a little chewy. A nice brown on the edges yields a great crisp!
Used cast iron. Prefer pepper. Full tsp.