CHEESE PUFFS

Any dish with the word “cheese” in the name will grab my attention. Macaroni and Cheese. Cheese Ravioli. Cheesy Bread. Cheesy Fries. And the list could go on. So I was excited to try this recipe for Cheese Puffs (also called Gougeres, it’s French) from Rachel Khoo’s book, The Little Paris Kitchen. And I was not disappointed.

I was recently sent a copy of Rachel’s book. It was funny because I immediately loved the book, it’s got amazing looking recipes and it’s full of beautiful photos (a must for cookbooks if you ask me)

Gougeres, from The Little Paris Cookbook

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

7 teaspoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar a pinch of chile powder

1 1/3 cup bread flour

2/3 cup grated semi-hard cheese (I used Parmesan)

2 tablespoons chopped herbs (I used oregano)

4 eggs

In a pot combine the water, milk, butter, salt, sugar and chile powder. Cook over high heat until the butter has melted. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the flour. This will turn to dough quickly so don’t be afraid to really stir! Add 2/3 of the cheese and fresh herbs. Continue stirring until the the paste/dough is smooth (the cheese is going to kind of melt into the dough and that’s good!).

Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Now stir in the eggs, one at a time. The dough will get lumpy but keep stirring and it will smooth out (thankful Rachel Khoo mentioned this in her instructions otherwise I probably would have panicked). 🙂 Now fill a large pastry bag (or zip lock bag in a pinch) with the batter.

Pipe the cheese puffs onto a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and if you want, sprinkle on sesame seeds, poppy seeds or any other small seeds or spices you have on hand. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the bottoms begin to get golden brown.

These were eaten up at the office within about 10 minutes after I finished snapping a few photos. Big hit! These would make perfect little appetizers for your next party or dinner you host. xo.