Cheddar Cheese Gougeres With Bacon Food

BACON GOUGERES

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup water, 1 sliced stick butter and 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1 cup flour, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until the mixture pulls away from the pan and looks shiny, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a stand mixer; beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, on medium speed until smooth. Stir in 6 finely chopped cooked thick-cut bacon slices, 3/4 cup grated smoked gouda and 2 tablespoons chopped chives. Transfer to a piping bag; snip off the end. Pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with more gouda.
• Bake at 400˚ F, until the gougeres are puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes.

BACON-CHEESE GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Toss together Gruyère and Cheddar in a small bowl, and set aside. Heat half-and-half, ½ cup water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Immediately add flour, salt, and nutmeg, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture forms a ball and bottom of pan has developed a thin film, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high for 30 seconds to release steam and cool slightly. Decrease speed to medium. With mixer running, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating on medium until batter is stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add bacon and 3 ounces of cheese mixture.
• Transfer dough mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a ½-inch pastry tip. Pipe 1½-inch mounds of dough (about 2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Tap tops of dough with a lightly moistened finger to flatten slightly. (Alternatively, use a 1¾-inch ice-cream scoop to scoop dough onto baking sheet.) Sprinkle dough with remaining cheese mixture (about ½ teaspoon each).
• Bake 1 pan in preheated oven 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F, and continue baking until golden brown, risen, and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool gougères on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°F, and repeat baking procedure with remaining pan of dough. Serve gougères while still warm.

THE BEST BACON CHEESEBURGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish and vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.
• Working in batches if necessary, add the bacon to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook, flipping halfway through, until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a nonstick baking sheet. Discard the bacon fat (or save for another use) and wipe the skillet clean but do not wash. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes.
• Add the buns split-side up to the baking sheet with the bacon and bake until the buns are toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Loosely form the beef into 4 balls. Add one ball of beef to the skillet and press firmly to flatten with a large flat metal spatula for 10 seconds, then gently remove the spatula. Sprinkle the patty generously with salt; repeat with the remaining beef balls, cooking in batches if necessary. Let cook, undisturbed, until well browned on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the patties, sprinkle with more salt and top each with a slice of Cheddar. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted around the edges and the bottoms are browned, about 2 more minutes.
• Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bun tops. Serve the patties on the bottom buns topped with the bacon, onion, tomato and lettuce.

CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water with the milk, butter, sugar and salt and stir over low heat until the sugar, butter and salt have melted. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a healthy simmer.
• Take from the heat and immediately add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, is smooth and no flour lumps remain. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring, careful not to scrape up the film, for a minute or two more.
• Transfer the mixture (panade) to a food processor. Mix for a minute to dissipate the heat. Add the eggs one at a time with the processor running. Pay attention to the consistency of the paste. It should be smooth and shiny, so you may only need 3 of the eggs. Stir in the cheese.
• Using a small cookie scoop, scoop generous mounds onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them an inch apart. Place in the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese puffs are golden brown.

CHEDDAR GOUGERES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in cheese, chives and garlic., Drop by tablespoonfuls 1 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with remaining salt. Bake at 375° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

CHEDDAR AND BACON BURGERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cheese, bacon and soup mix. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight patties., Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Serve on buns with lettuce and tomato if desired.