Cheese Puff Crown Recipes

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.

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.

CHEF JOHN'S PARTY CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Stir water, butter, and salt together in a pot; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and whisk flour into butter mixture until a paste-like dough forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer dough to a bowl to cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Whisk 1 egg, thyme, and black pepper into cooled dough until egg is completely incorporated. Add remaining egg and whisk until completely incorporated into dough. Stir 3/4 the cheese into dough until combined. Scoop 1-inch balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Top each with remaining cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and puffed, 15 to 20 minutes.

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 CORN PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring the corn, butter and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Stir in the cheese and chives. Chill the dough 15 minutes.
• Scoop tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with more cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown and puffy, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

CHEESE PUFF CROWN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In a 2-qt saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt. As soon as the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat, pour in all the flour at once and beat it in vigorously. The dough will be lumpy at first but smoothes out rapidly as you beat. As soon as it is blended, return the pan to moderate heat and beat until the dough forms a ball and begins to fill the bottom of the pan. Put the dough into a bowl and stir to cool it, about 30 secs. Make a well in the center of the warm dough and beat in 3/4 c. of the eggs, a quarter cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half of the final quarter cup and test to see if the dough just holds its shape when scooped up on a spoon. Add as much of th final 2 T. as you can without making the dough too loose. Beat in 1 cup of the cheese. On a lightly buttered and floured baking sheet, form a ring by dropping mounds of dough in a circle. Top with the remaining 2 T. grated cheese. Bake until puffed and browned, about 20 mins. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees F and bake until crisp, 10-20 mins longer.

CHEESE CROWNS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease bottoms and sides of 12 jumbo muffin cups, 3.5 x 1.75 in., or 6-oz custard cups with shortening.
• Place 1 sheet of could puff pastry on lightly floured surface. Cut into four squares. Press each square gently into muffin cup, pulling the four corners up and out of cup. Press corners down on muffin pan. Repeat with remaining sheets of puff pastry.
• Mix flour, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut margarine into the mixture, then put a heaping tablespoon in the bottom of each pastry cup.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Pour about 1/3 c of the cream cheese mixture into each cup (on top of the pecan mixture).
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown. Cool 15 mins., then remove from pan. Refrigerate uncovered about 1 hr or until chilled; cover and continue refrigerating no longer than 48 hours.