Gougeres

After my adventure with choux dough for TWD, I was hooked.  I remembered seeing one tv chef or another making gougeres, adorable little puffs made by mixing cheese and herbs into choux dough and baking.  I turned to dear old Martha Stewart, who recommended adding some spices to the dough also.  I tweaked the recipe by using half milk half water for the liquid, having really liked the puffs that resulted from that ratio from Dorie's recipe.  The addition of nutmeg and paprika brought a smoky depth of flavor to the puffs that made them mysteriously addictive.  I added fresh chives and rosemary from our garden. They don't puff up as much as cream puffs because of the herbs and cheese, but that makes them more managable if you were to use them as a passed hors d'oeuvre (which I would if I ever had cocktail parties!) 

I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging this week, hosted by Joanna's Food

 

Gougeres

adapted from The Martha Stewart Baking Handbook

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 c water

1/2 c milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c grated cheese- gruyere is the classic, I used  blend of swiss, cheddar and mozzerella because I had it around
1/4 c grated Parmesan (1 oz.) plus more for sprinkling
1/4 c chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 large whole eggs plus 1 large egg white

 Preheat oven to 425. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

 In a saucepan, combine  water and  milk with butter, salt, sugar, paprika, and pepper over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then immediately remove it from the heat. Using a wooden spoon, add flour and stir vigorously until the flour is not longer visible. Return pan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a film on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir in cheeses and the herbs, and mix until cheese is just melted.

 Transfer to bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, 1 minute. Add 3 eggs one at a time on medium speed. Lightly beat the last egg and add a little at a time until the batter is smooth and shiny. It should form a soft peak when you touch it. If needed, add the egg white a little at a time.

 Transfer the dough to  pastry bag fitted with a 5/8 inch tip and pipe 1 1/2 inch circles on parchment lined cookie sheets, 1 inch apart.. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes until golden. If you lined the sheets with tin foil, try to get them off pretty soon so they don't stick.