Cheesy Puffs Food

FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan). Lightly grease 2 trays then line with parchment / baking paper.
• Place water, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil until butter is full melted.
• Remove from stove, add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated.
• Return to stove on LOW heat and mix for 1 minute (this dries the mixture out, see video for before/after).
• Remove from stove, leave for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 egg, mix vigorously until incorporated - batter splits at first, but it always comes together!
• Add 3 more eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Good arm workout! (Or use electric beater)
• Stir in 2 cups cheese.
• Drop 1 tablespoon mounds onto trays (small cookie scoop is ideal, otherwise use a measuring tablespoon and a teaspoon to scrape out. Can make larger - good for dunking!)
• Brush with yolk, then top with a pinch of reserved Cheese for topping.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes so they become crusty and inside dries out a bit.
• Serve warm as pre dinner nibbles, finger food at gatherings, or dunk into soups and stews!

GOUGèRES (FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS)

Steps:

• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Bring the milk, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium and, using a wooden spoon, immediately start stirring energetically. The dough will form into a ball and there will be a light film on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for another two minutes or so to dry the dough: Dry dough will make puffier puffs.
• Turn the dough out into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and elbow grease). Let the dough sit for a minute to cool, then add the eggs one by one, followed by the white, beating on medium speed until each one is incorporated before adding the next. The dough may look as though it's separating or falling apart -- just keep going, and by the time the egg white goes in, the dough will be smooth. Beat in the mustard, followed by the cheese. Give the dough a last mix-through by hand.
• Scoop or spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough (I use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop), and drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds. (The scooped dough can be frozen on the baking sheets.)
• Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are puffed, golden, and firm enough to pick up, another 15 to 17 minutes. Serve immediately -- these are best directly from the oven. Storing: Although the puffs are best served hot out of the oven, they are still nice (although flatter) at room temperature that same day. If you want to keep baked puffs longer, freeze them and then reheat in a 350°F-oven for a few minutes.
• Make-Ahead/Freezer Instructions: Scoop the dough and freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then pack them in an airtight container. You can bake them straight from the freezer; just give them a few more minutes in the oven.
• Note/Variation: Dorie adds ⅔ cup walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and chopped, to these gougères. My family prefers them without nuts but it's a nice variation to try. Add them along with the cheese.

CHEESY POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
• 2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, milk and sour cream, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until a full boil is reached. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, until dough mixture pulls away from the sides of saucepan and forms a ball. Continue to cook for another minute or until excess moisture is gone, stirring constantly. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes.
• 3. Beat in eggs one at a time by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed, making sure each egg is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next egg. Beat the dough until it is shiny and smooth. Stir in cheese, Potatoes and salt, and mix well. Drop a tablespoon of dough at a time onto baking sheets, about 1-½ inch apart.
• 4. Bake uncovered for 28 to 32 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHEESY PASTRY PUFFS

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Crumble the oregano and salt in a small bowl using your hands and set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse meal. Add the cheese and 1 tablespoon ice water. Process until the mixture forms into a ball, adding extra water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. On a lightly-floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10-inch-diameter circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Form the dough into a flat disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the dough with the seasoned salt. Gently roll the salt into the dough using a rolling pin.
• Cut the dough into different shapes using the cookie cutters, and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Bake until puffed and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 10 minutes.

CHEESY PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the milk and heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is smooth and glossy and a dough ball forms. (The dough should start to pull away from the edges of the pan.)
• Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in 5 of the eggs, one at a time, on medium speed until completely combined. Stir in the salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of the Gruyere.
• Spoon large tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each puff. Whisk the remaining egg and use it to brush the tops of the puffs. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup Gruyere.
• Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

CHEESY BROCCOLI PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Cook the broccoli according to the package directions. Transfer to a colander to drain until cool, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl and add the mozzarella, feta, ricotta, dill, chives, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir together with a large spoon, using the back of it to crush any large broccoli florets. Set aside.
• Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Roll out a sheet of the puff pastry on a clean work surface into a 12-inch square, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut the puff pastry into sixteen 3-inch squares with a pizza wheel or knife. Place 1 tablespoon of the broccoli mixture in the center of each square. Working with a square at a time, pinch together 2 opposite corners, then pinch together the remaining 2 corners to create a small packet. Transfer the packets to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry and filling. Brush the packets with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
• Working in batches if needed, bake the packets until golden and bubbly, 20 to 22 minutes.

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.

OLIVE CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• Cream together cheese and butter.
• Sift flour, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper into cheese mixture, and mix to combine well.
• Wrap each olive in about 1 teaspoon of cheese dough.
• Bake for 15 minutes in 400º oven.

CHEESY EGG PUFFS

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute the mushrooms and onions in 1 tablespoon butter until tender.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In another bowl, combine eggs and cheeses.
• Melt remaining butter; add to egg mixture.
• Stir into dry ingredients along with mushroom mixture.
• Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full.
• Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Carefully run the knife around edge of muffin cups before removing.

BAKED CHEESY SAMOSA PUFFS

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and pour in cold water to cover by 1". Season generously with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Peel potatoes, then place in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork until mostly smooth with some pea-size pieces remaining.
• Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Cook cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and asafetida, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add chile and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened, about 30 seconds. Stir in coriander, turmeric, and 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add potatoes and mix until spiced oil is thoroughly incorporated. Return potato mixture to bowl and let cool.
• Stir cheese, cilantro, lime juice, garam masala, and sugar into potato mixture. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
• Unfold puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut into eighteen 2½" squares. Roll out each square to about 4½", then divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Working one at a time, brush edges of pastry with egg. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture onto center of each square. Fold pastry in half by bringing one of the top corners up and over filling and matching it up with the opposite bottom corner to make a triangle. Pinch edges together to seal, then crimp with a fork. Brush tops with egg. Chill puffs 15 minutes.
• Bake puffs until pastry is golden brown and cheese is melted, 25-30 minutes. (Some cheese may ooze out and that is okay.)
• Serve puffs with ketchup, green chutney, or hot sauce for dipping.

CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Melt cream cheese and cheddar cheese, and butter in the microwave or in top of a double boiler.
• Remove; fold in beaten egg whites.
• Dip the bread cubes in the mixture to coat.
• Place on baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap.
• Chill overnight (the coated bread cubes can also be frozen for later baking).
• Remove from the fridge, remove plastic wrap.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minute, or until brown.
• These puffs freeze well after baking.