Gorgeous Gougeres

Finally, I'm getting the chance to post about the gougeres I made for our MLK day party. These tasty little cheese puffs are delicious just out of the oven but they also held up well and were yummy room-temperature a few hours later. These are sort of like savory cream puffs, without the cream. :)

I found these to be pretty forgiving. It would be best if you have everything prepared ahead (i.e. cheese grated, herbs chopped) so that you can add them when the recipe says. But of course I did not plan ahead so I'm sure the dough cooled off too much between additions...but I have to say I did not notice anything amiss with the final product!

Gougeres (slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

1 1/4 c flour
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c grated Gruyere (5 oz.)
1/4 c grated Parmesan (1 oz.) plus more for sprinkling
2 T chopped fresh dill
2 T finely chopped scallions
4 large whole eggs plus 1 large egg white

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line 2 baking sheets.
2. In a saucepan, combine 1 c water with butter, salt, sugar, paprika, and pepper over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then immediately remove it from the heat. Using a wooden spoon, add flour and stir vigorously until the flour is not longer visible. Return pan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a film on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir in both cheeses and the herbs, and mix until cheese is just melted.
3. Transfer to bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, 1 minute. Add 3 eggs one at a time on medium speed. Lightly beat the last egg and add a little at a time until the batter is smooth and shiny. It should form a soft peak when you touch it. If needed, at the egg white a little at a time.
4. You can pipe out the gougeres if you want, but I just scooped them out with a spoon. They didn't spread much so they can be pretty close together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes until golden. If you lined the sheets with tin foil, try to get them off pretty soon so they don't stick.