Cornmeal Cheese Straws

Put butter in a medium size bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until creamy. Add cheese, milk, salt, cayenne and paprika and mix well. Mix in flour and cornmeal.

Turn dough onto a sheet of wax paper and knead about 1 minutes, until pliable and well blended. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate 2 hours or longer.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter baking sheets. Put dough between 2 sheets wax paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.

With a sharp knife or pastry wheel, trim dough into a rectangle 8 inches across and as long as possible. Remove dough trimmings. Brush with egg white, then sprinkle with poppy seeds and coarse salt.

Cut into strips 8 inches long and 3/8 inch wide. Lift each strip and twist each end as you place on baking sheets. Arrange about 12 strips on each sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until straws are pale gold and lightly browned around the edges.

Place on racks to cool. May be baked several days in advance and frozen in an airtight container. Reheat on baking sheets for 5 to 7 minutes at 350 degrees F.