Doreens Savoury 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.

SAVOURY PUFF PASTRIES

Steps:

• Thaw the frozen pastry and cut each sheet into four squares.
• Cook the onion, capsicum and bacon bits in the oil for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile warm the Philadelphia ceam cheese slightly to make it spread easier.
• Spread the cream cheese evenly over the 12 pastry squares but avoid the edge of the pastry by about 1.5 cms (1/2 inch). Evenly divide and spread the capsicum mixture over the cream cheese.
• Bake at 200 degrees Celsius (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 15 minutes.

DOREEN'S SAVOURY PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180 deg C/350 deg F.
• Grease a 12-hole muffin tin, or use 2 patty pans to get smaller snacks, but they'll be harder to handle.
• Beat the 2 eggs, and pour into a measuring cup.
• Fill up to a full cup with milk. (Be careful not to mistake egg foam for liquid, so squint well at your measuring jug and make sure you have a cup of liquid).
• Pour mixture into a mixing bowl.
• Add the oil, then the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and herbs if used.
• Mix well until smooth and mixed.
• (NOTE: my electric beaters did not work well with this choux-like batter -- it kept creeping up the beaters. I found it easier to mix this with a spoon or a strong spatula. Then it hit me: Doreen never had a luxury like an electric mixer in her life. She would have mixed it by hand anyway).
• Fill each well-greased muffin hole not more than 1/3rd full. It's easiest to use a spoon and clean fingers. Don't worry because the batter won't spread evenly.
• Add one of the toppings given above, pressing in lightly with your fingers, else it tends to roll off as the snack rises in the oven. Especially important if using minced meat -- press it inches.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until puffed and golden.
• Best served warm, but can be made ahead and gently warmed up again in an oven.