Cheddar Gourgeres

Look at those Nooks & Crannies

I've made this type of thing before with blue cheese and I think I've made them with Gruyere but this time around I found this cheddar cheese recipe and had to give it a try with a twist.

Cheddar Gourgeres (Adapted from Food & Wine)

1 stick butter
1 c water
1 c flour
1/2 t salt (kosher)
1 t smokey paprika
4 eggs
1 c cheddar cheese (white), grated

Combine butter and water in a small saucepan. Remove from heat when butter is melted. Whisk in flour, salt, and paprika. Whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.

Add to a mixer. Add 1 egg at a time and make sure that you mix each egg well.  (It is at this point that you think this will not work. The dough will almost look curdled but have no fear it comes together).

See looks a little separated

But it comes together nice and smooth

Reserve 2 T of cheese and stir remainder into the dough. Using a 1T scoop, scoop out the dough onto a sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top of the puffs.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes; then rotate pans. Bake another 15 minutes until browned. Take a skewer and poke a hole in near the base of each Gourgere. Lower oven to 400 and bake an additional 8 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer Gourgeres to rack too cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These freeze great. You just need to reheat them to crisp them up again before serving. This recipe makes a much larger gourgere than other recipes that I've made. You can definitely make them more of a bitesize serving by using a teaspoon scoop. You will have to bake them less and you will not have to pierce them to let the steam out. Other recipes I've used, you mix the eggs in with a wooden spoon and it seems like they will never incorporate. I think this was an easier method.