Black Pepper and Parmesan Frico

What do you do when you are given a five pound bag of shredded Parmesan cheese? You make Frico!  Frico is the European version of fried cheese made into a thin and crispy wafer.

A few weeks ago, one of our friends who works for a special event catering company gave me a huge five pound bag of shredded Parmesan cheese. I froze half of it but kept the other half in my refrigerator. I thought about what I could do with this lovely Parmesan cheese and I decided to make delicious cheese crisps.  These are great on salads and soups. The only ingredient required is shredded cheese. I like to use Parmesan.

These crisps transfer ordinary Parmesan cheese into a yummy cheese wafer. They can be used as a garnish or shaped into little cups and filled with something like a dip or salad. It is perfect for an appetizer.  My husband usually sneaks a few while I am making them and eats them plain. My favorite way to eat them is in a simple salad tossed with a vinaigrette dressing then topped with the Frico.

Frico are simple to make however they must be watched closely while cooking so they do not burn.  Another piece of advice is to use a non stick skillet so the cheese doesn’t stick to the pan. I used a small omelet skillet and made three at a time. This time I topped them with black pepper but they can be made with any type of herb or spice. Next time I will try Rosemary.