First off, these are really easy to make. Feel free to use whatever your favorite sharp cheese is (I just used a sharp cheddar this time, but I'll probably try a different cheese next time). There's very few ingredients and you can add more or less of the flavors. At first I was a little bit wary of using Cayenne pepper, but it really adds a depth to the flavor of the puffs.
These can be either made as an appetizer or paired with a soup or salad (my mom thinks they would go very well with the Lentil Soup.
I did very little to change this recipe, I used scallions instead of chives and decided on an actual measurement of cayenne pepper, rather than a "large pinch," so it's easier to replicate the recipe.
Pâte à Choux
1 cup (250ml) water
6 tablespoons (80g) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/3 cup scallions or chives finely-mince
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces, 180g) finely grated sharp cheese like Gruyère or sharp chedder
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat the water, butter, salt, and cayenne in a saucepan until the butter is melted, don’t let it simmer or boil because you will lose too much water. Pour in the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides into a smooth ball.
Remove from heat and let rest two minutes.
Transfer the dough to a bowl or a standing mixer and beat in the eggs one at a time. The batter will first appear lumpy, but after a minute or so, it will smooth out and become glossy. Add all the chives and about 75% of the cheese and stir until well-mixed. Scrape the mixture into a pastry bag or plastic bag with the corner cut out (that’s what I use). Pipe the dough into mounds, evenly-spaced apart about the size of a rounded tablespoon (this size is suggested, but you can make them larger or smaller, the bigger you make them, the more air will be trapped inside the pastry). Top each puff with a bit of the remaining cheese.
At this point, you could refrigerate the dough on the sheet for several hours before baking. You could also freeze the dough on the sheet and then transfer the frozen mounds to a ziplock bag to store for up to three months.
About half an hour before you want to serve these. Pop them into a hot oven at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes (12 if you are baking from frozen), then turn the oven down to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 20 minutes. These are best served warm, but they still taste good at room temperature.
Total Time: About 1 hour
