Cheese Puffs With Halloumi And Zaatar Lebanese Food

CHEESE PUFFS WITH HALLOUMI AND ZAATAR (LEBANESE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
• Mix the zaatar with the grated Halloumi cheese in a bowl. Set aside.
• Place the water, butter and salt in a saucepan and heat to boiling; when boiling, drop all the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to cook the flour, until the flour paste holds together and leaves the sides of the saucepan.
• Remove from the heat, and wait a couple of minutes; then plop the paste into a mixer or (my preference) a food processor. Get it going and start adding the eggs, one at a time, until mixed. Add the cheese and zaatar (previously mixed together).
• Plop the paste into a decorating bag or just use a small spoon and form little even-sized mounds on the parchment-paper lined cookie sheets; you should have around 50 mini-puffs. You can glaze them with a beaten egg yolk, to give them a more golden shine.
• Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes; reduce the oven heat to 375F and bake 15 minutes or so longer until they are all puffed up and feel dry to the touch. Serve immediately, or cool, store in a tightly sealed plastic container and freeze.

CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg over medium heat, until scalded. Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add the eggs, Gruyere, and Parmesan and pulse until the eggs are incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick.
• Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4-inch high onto the baking sheets. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. (You can also use 2 spoons to scoop out the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.) Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch of Gruyere. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown outside but still soft inside.

CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and cayenne 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 Gruyere and mustard. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

HALLOUMI WRAPS WITH CRUNCHY ZA'ATAR CHIPS

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes into 1cm-thick chips - leave the skin on, or peel first, if you prefer. Tip into a pan of cold salted water and set aside while you make the flatbreads.
• Mix the yogurt and flour with a pinch of salt to make a soft dough. If it feels too sticky, add a little more flour. Knead gently for a minute or two until smooth and elastic, then divide into four pieces. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bring the pan of chips to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 mins until the potatoes start to soften - you should be able to easily break a chip in half. Drain and leave to steam-dry in the colander for 5 mins. Drizzle a large baking tray with the veg oil and put in the oven for a few minutes to heat up.
• Carefully tip the chips into the tray of hot oil, season with salt and scatter with the za'atar and oregano. Use a fish slice to carefully turn the chips in the oil until well-coated, then bake for 25-30 mins, shaking the tray every 10 mins until crisp.
• Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the tzatziki together, and chill until ready to serve. Will keep covered and chilled for a day.
• Flour a work surface and roll out each piece of dough into a roughly 25cm round. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and cook each for 2-3 mins on each side until puffed up and golden in spots. Wrap in foil and keep warm in a low oven.
• Tip the chopped tomatoes and cucumber triangles into individual bowls and set aside. Squeeze half the lemon over the red onions and season with a little salt, scrunch together and set aside. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges.
• Slice each halloumi block into eight pieces. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the halloumi for 1-2 mins on each side until soft and golden. Generously spread each flatbread with the tzatziki, then top with a handful of the chips, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and halloumi. Squeeze over a lemon wedge, then wrap up and serve with extra chips and tzatziki on the side.