Silpat. That one little word may change my life. I was flipping through the (incredibly large) French Laundry cookbook and happened upon this little gem. You know how cheese gets crunchy on the edge of pizza or when it runs in to the pan when you're making a grilled cheese sandwich? You know how that's an amazing little treat that goes with the dish? Well, now, in this amazing world of technology, you can forgo the dish and just eat the crunchy cheese! Enter the Silpat mat.

I picked one up at Great News in San Diego near my place, grated some Parmesean cheese, spread it out on the mat in little circles, then baked it at 325 degrees for 10 minutes until it was browned. I served it to my brother with a walnut goat cheese salad and butternut squash soup.

The Silpat mat will certainly end up having many other uses... my macaroons won't stick and world peace will become reality. Okay, I'm getting a little overly optimistic, but I am pretty excited out the possibilities.