Cheddar Gougeres

These little cheese puffs are one of the recipes that we'll be making on Friday at the French Nibbles & Hors D'hoeurves class. Made from choux paste, there is a generous amount of old cheddar added at the end. Traditional gougeres are usually made with Gruyere or Comte, but I see no reason not to use whatever you have on hand, so long as it is a hard cheese with lots of flavour.

There are so many great French appetizers and this is the perfect place to start. 

Cheddar Gougeres

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups aged cheddar, grated

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside until needed.
Bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once and stir together immediately with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to low and continue stirring vigorously for about 2 minutes. The dough will be very smooth.
Place the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in completely before adding the next one. Beat in the grated cheese. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of dough per gougere onto the prepared baking sheets, for each one, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets in the oven and immediately turn down the heat on the oven to 375 F. Bake for 12 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for another 12-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with your favourite aperitif.