Fluffy Cheese Puffs Food

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.

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.

FLUFFY CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400° F (204°C). Lightly coat 2 cookie sheets with butter.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, oil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth paste.
• With the wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time, blending completely each time. Stir in the Cheddar cheese and minced chives or scallions.
• Using a tablespoon, drop balls of batter onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the puffs are firm and well browned. Serve them warm or at room temperature.

CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine the flour with the salt, black pepper, thyme, chili powder, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Put the milk and butter in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. When the butter melts, turn heat to low. Add the seasoned flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Separate the white and yolk from one egg, reserving the yolk for glazing.
• Put the dough into a large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for one minute. Then beat in one egg and the extra egg white. Beat until completely absorbed into the dough. Then add the remaining 4 eggs, one at a time, waiting each time until the previous egg is completely absorbed. After all 5 eggs (plus the one egg white) have been incorporated, the dough should be smooth and satiny.
• Add the Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses, and pepperoni if you are using it. Incorporate thoroughly into the dough.
• Use a pastry bag to pipe dough onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. You can also drop dough from a teaspoon. For tiny puffs, mounds should be about 1/2 inch in diameter. From small appetizers, mounds should be 1 inch in diameter. For puffs large enough for filling, mounds should be 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Keep the size of the puffs uniform so they bake properly. Space puffs about 1 inch apart.
• Beat the remaining egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of milk to make a glaze. Lightly brush the tops of the puffs with glaze before baking. Sprinkle tops with your Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes (5 minutes for tiny puffs). Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake 10 minutes more for tiny puffs; 15 to 20 minutes longer for medium or large puffs, or until puffs are golden brown. Test by removing a puff from the oven and breaking it open. The inside should be baked through. If it is still doughy or wet, bake another 5 minutes.
• Remove pans from oven and leave puffs on pans until cool enough to serve.

CHEDDAR CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. In a medium-size heavy saucepan, combine 1 cup water, the butter and salt, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough starts to pull away from sides of pan and form a lump. Set aside, without stirring, 5 minutes.
• Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. With each addition, dough will look glossy and slick at first; let it come together before adding next egg. Mix in mustard, cayenne and cheese. Dough will be quite loose and sticky.
• Scoop up a heaping teaspoon of dough and use another spoon to scrape it onto lined pan; it should form a mound about an inch in diameter. Alternatively, use a pastry bag or thick plastic bag with one corner cut off, to pipe small mounds onto pan. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving 1/2 inch between puffs.
• Bake until puffy and golden, about 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove from oven and serve immediately, or turn oven off and open door slightly to keep puffs warm up to 1 hour.

CACIO E PEPE CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange two racks so they are evenly spaced in the oven.
• In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup milk with the butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper over medium just until bubbles start to form around the perimeter and the milk is scalded. (Don't allow it to boil.)
• Add the flour all at once and beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until it comes together. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add 4 eggs, the Parmesan and pecorino, and pulse until the eggs and cheeses are completely incorporated.
• Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Working in batches, spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch round pastry tip or a large, gallon-size resealable bag, snipping off a lower corner before piping.
• Pipe the dough onto the sheet pans in 1 1/4-inch-wide, 3/4-inch-high mounds, setting them each 1 inch apart. (You can also use two spoons to scoop the mixture and shape the puffs.) The mounds should be shaped like huge chocolate kisses. Using a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl on top of each puff.
• Prepare the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon milk until combined. Brush the top of each puff lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake the cheese puffs until browned, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Serve hot. (If preparing the cheese puffs in advance, you can bake them off, allow them to cool, then freeze them in a sealed resealable bag. Reheat them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.)