Recipe: Hot Cheese Bits On Dark Nights

I once took a class at NYU from William Goldman. At that point he had written a couple of novels, which I had read and liked. It was just before he hit the big time, and there were only about a dozen of us in the class. He was flying out to Utah every weekend, where his script of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” was being filmed, and he came back every week with lots of good gossip. He was in the middle of writing “Marathon Man” and he discussed some of the tricky plot points with us while it was in process, without revealing the actual story line. He was funny, and direct in manner, and completely unpretentious. He was, also, encouraging to me, and when the course ended he said he would be happy to see more of my work if I would like to send it.

I never did. I didn’t want to impose, and as time went by and his career progressed, I became more hesitant. I did think he would remember me — he used to tease me about my fool ‘em Queen of the Wasps name — but, still. I got involved doing other things and didn’t really think about all this much, although it was always fun to see his name on film credits and to read later books he wrote.

A few years ago I was in London, convalescing from an accident (buy travel insurance; I didn’t), and one night I dreamed about William Goldman. We were sitting and talking and holding hands. There was nothing at all romantic about this, it was just very warm and friendly. And when I woke up, and read the morning papers, I read that he had died that night, the night before.

It is hard to explain some things. Trying to, letting your mind chase after the shredded tails of thoughts as they drift off into the ether, may not be revelatory. My feeling is, at this time of year when dark nights are drawing in earlier and earlier, the unexplainable is as good a reason as any to have a good stiff drink.

I first had a Negroni in Italy years ago. Still my favorite drink, it’s rarely indulged in, as it’s equal equal equal Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin, with a twist of orange. When I give this to dinner guests I also hand them a map which leads to the guest room. They usually go home, and they go home happy.

Try the following, Hot Cheese Bits, with the a Negroni. You can use less cayenne than I do if you’re a big chicken.

Hot Cheese Bits

1 c. flour
8 oz. shredded cheddar — I buy a block of Cabot sharp cheddar
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne. (I add a heaped 1/2 tsp. For a double recipe, which is what I always make, I use a heaping tsp.)
1 c. fairly finely chopped pecans. (See photo to get an idea of the size.)

Put everything except the pecans into a bowl. Mix together with your washed hand. Add the pecans and mix them in. Form the dough into logs; I make them about the size of a fifty-cent piece. It’s easier if you roll them out with the flat of your hand on wax paper. Wrap each in wax paper and refrigerate until ready to bake, a day or two is okay.

Slice the rolls into 1/4”, or slightly thicker, coins. Bake on ungreased baking sheets at 325 to 335 degrees. Use 10 to 15 minutes as a guide — it will depend on your oven, the heaviness of your baking sheets, etc. In my big stove oven, on a heavy sheet, it takes about 19 minutes. Do not brown; your first batch will be instructive. They’re still good if lightly browned, but better if not. A single recipe makes about 100. A great thing about these is that they can be frozen for months, separated in layers with wax paper, in tins. Make them now for the coming winter holidays.

In “All Souls’ Night,” Yeats said the spirits walking abroad among us inhale the fumes of the drinks of mortals, celebrating their night of return to the world. Cheers, Mr. Goldman. Cheers to us all on dark nights.