Salt And Pepper Cheese Puffs (gougères)

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
• coarse sea salt

Recipe

• 1 in a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring 1 1/2 cups water and the butter to a full rolling boil. remove from heat, add flour all at once, and stir until mixture is a smooth, thick paste with no lumps. add a quarter of the beaten eggs at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition until dough is no longer slippery. stir in cheese and pepper.
• 2 spoon dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch round tip. pipe in 48 equal mounds on two cooking parchment-lined or buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. (alternatively, drop dough on sheets in slightly rounded tablespoon-size portions.) sprinkle each mound with a few grains of coarse sea salt.
• 3 bake in a 400° regular or convection oven until dry and well browned, about 30 minutes. serve warm.