Cheese Puffs

Thanksgiving amuse-bouche appetizer idea, a tiny delight that family and friends could share in the tradition of gathering in gratitude around harvest abundance...



CHOUX PASTRY
Ingredients (8 serving) :
250g milk
250g water
200g salted butter
300g all-purpose flour
400g eggs
180g grated cheese (Emmental or Comté)
10g granulated sugar.

 Directions :
  • Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). 
  • In a pot, add water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. 
  • Once butter has completely melted, take off flame, and slowly pour in flour, stirring constantly. 
  • Put pot back on flame and continue to work it with a wooden spoon for less than a minute. Continue stirring and kneading with spoon until the dough dries out and stops sticking to the sides of the pot. Take off flame. 
  • Beat the eggs and add it little by little in stirring energetically. 
  • Add thinly grated cheese, and keep stirring.
  • Fit a pastry bag with a tip. Fill it with batter. Squeeze out "profiteroles" onto a greezed baking tray, well-spaced. 
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serve warm.

These tiny exquisite puffs can also be filled with savory creams.I suggest to experience the chive cream cheese with smoked salmon !


CHEESE CREAM & SALMON FILLING
Ingredients (8 serving) : 
2 smoked salmon slices
250g Mascarpone
150ml liquid cream 35%
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A little pinch of salt
Ground pepper
Chopped chive

 Directions : 
  • Chill the bowl of your Kitchen Aid for a couple of hours.
  • Combine the mascarpone cheese and the cream and whisk with a little pinch of salt.
  • When your cheese mixture is stiff, add lemon juice, ground pepper and chopped chive. Whisk again for 2 more minutes.
  • Cut the smoked salmon in thin strips.
  • In using a sharp knive, cut each pastry lenghtwise (better to bake the choux a day before and leave it at room temperature covered with a cloth).
  • Fill each puff bottom with the cream mixture, add a salmon strip. and cover with the top puff.

BON APPÉTIT...


Popular posts from this blog

"Petit Beurre" Baking Class in Paris!

Image
Petit Beurre (literally "little butter") is a small rectangular cookie invented in the late nineteen-century by Louis Lefèvre-Utile, the founder of the Nantes-based company LU. This man was the first to create a cookie manufacture in France. He was also ahead on his time in terms of marketing and advertising too.  More than hundred years later, Petit Beurre is still a highlight in the long list of French classics ! Petit Beurre is crispy, not too sweet and not too rich. It perfectly accompanies a cup of tea. You will easily recognize a "Petit Beurre" by the dents all around the edges, browned ear at each corner, and tiny holes on the surface as if pricked by a needle. Children say that corners are the best, starting to eat "les petites oreilles" first ! Of course you could go to the supermarket and buy a pack of Petit LU but.... just do it in your kitchen. It's easy and much more better ! To get a perfect cutting and also to print the su
Read more

Cheese cream filled savory choux pastry

Image
Photo : Valerie Szewczyk INGREDIENTS (for about 35 choux pastry) 125g milk 125g water 100g butter 100g gratted (comté or emmental) cheese 150g all-purpose flour 200g eggs (4 large) 200g cheese cream 60g of fresh aromatic herbs : tarragon, chive and chervil 5g ganulated sugar Salt and ground pepper DIRECTIONS :    Preheat oven to 170°C ( 340°F ) Prepare your cream cheese with finely chopped aromatic herbs : tarragon, chive, and chervil. Season with salt and ground pepper. Reserve in the fridge. In a pot, mix water, milk, butter, sugar, and a pinch of table salt. Bring to a boil. Once butter has completely melted, take off flame , and pour flour all at once , stirring constantly.  Put pot back on flame and continue to work it with a spatula for less than a minute.  Continue stirring and kneading until the dough dries out and stops sticking to the sides of the pot. Take off flame.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring energetically.  Fill a pastry bag with b
Read more

KING CAKE EPIPHANY TRADITIONAL CELEBRATION...

Image
In the beginning of January, French bakeries are filled with exquisite puff pastry pies that are called “ Galettes des Rois ” in France but also "King Cake" in the US. Epiphany is a traditional Christian feast celebrating the 'shining forth' or   revelation   of God to mankind in human form, in the   person   of   Jesus Christ.  The name "Epiphany" is a greek word meaning revelation. It’s based on the biblical story that tells of the Magi or   Three Kings   - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar - who saw a bright star on the night Christ was born and followed it to Bethlehem… The Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. At this occasion, families meet to share the traditional “galette des rois”. This puff pastry pie is filled with almond cream and... something else ! It’s time to find the kings. The French call it “ tirer les rois ”. The traditional galette is cut in slices (one per person sitting at the table plus one. The slice
Read more