Cream Cheese Puffs Food

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.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• To make the cream puffs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt, and granulated sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and working 1 egg at a time, add 3 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining egg and mix until incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the dough onto the baking sheet, in 2-inch diameter rounds or balls. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 1/2 teaspoons water. Brush the surface of the rounds with the egg wash to knock down the points (you may not use all the egg wash). Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until puffed up, and light golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet.
• To fill the cream puffs, place a pastry tip on your finger and poke a whole in the bottom of each puff. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff. Pipe whipped cream into each cream puff and chill until ready to serve, no more than 4 hours.
• Notes about the recipe: The moisture in the eggs turns to steam and puffs the batter to try to release itself. You can fill them with anything.

CHICKEN CREAM CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients EXCEPT chicken and croutons in a mixing bowl, reserving a tablespoon of melted butter for the tops. Add warm cooked chicken. Separate crescent rolls into squares (2 pre-cut rolls make one shell), pushing together the seams. Put a tablespoon of chicken mix in the middle, bring opposite corners of the roll together, twisting the top and pinching the seams. Brush tops with warm melted butter, top with crouton mix. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is done and the tops are golden brown.

CREAM CHEESE MUFFIN PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°.
• Melt margarine in a bowl.
• Cut cream cheese into 10 cubes.
• In a second small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and extract.
• Dip cheese cube in sugar mixture, then place in the center of a biscuit.
• Fold dough over cheese, pinching to seal.
• Roll dough into ball, dip the doughball into margarine and then the sugar mixture again.
• Place seam side down in an ungreased muffin tin.
• Repeat with the remaining 9 biscuits and cheese cubes.
• Bake for 12-18 minutes at 375° or until golden brown.

SALMON CREAM CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry sheet. Cut into 6 squares.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Mix salmon, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, green onions, seasoning, hot sauce and salt & pepper.
• Scoop about 1/4 to 1/2 cup salmon mixture onto each puff pastry square.
• Bring corners of puff pastry together and pinch closed.
• Combine egg & water for an egg wash and brush on top of puff pastry.
• Cook in 425 oven for 20 minutes.

SOUR CREAM CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, red pepper, onion, lemon juice, dill and pepper until blended. , Cut each biscuit in half horizontally; press into greased miniature muffin cups. Place a rounded tablespoonful of cream cheese mixture in each cup. , Bake at 375° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve warm.

CREAM CHEESE CRAB PUFFS

Steps:

• Bring water & butter to boil. Reduce to low heat.
• Add flour & salt, stirring vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball.
• Remove from heat.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating the mixture smooth after each addition.
• Place level Tablespoons of batter on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Cool.
• Mix remaining ingredients together.
• Cut tops off puffs & overfill them with the mixture.
• Replace tops.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet.

PHILLY CREAM CHEESE CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Bring water and margarine to boil.
• Add flour and salt; stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms ball.
• Remove from heat.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Drop ten 1/2 cupfuls of dough on lightly greased cookie sheet to form 9-inch ring.
• Bake at 400 degrees, 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from cookie sheet immediately; cool.
• For filling and topping:.
• Combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla, mixing until well blended.
• Reserve 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture; fold whipped cream and bananas into remaining mixture. Chill.
• Carefully cut top from ring; fill with whipped cream and banana mixture. Replace top.
• Add remaining sugar, chocolate and milk to reserved cream cheese mixture; mix well. Spread over ring.