Blue Cheese Gougeres - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another weapon in my arsenal of inexpensive recipes to tame the appetites of ravenous guests. It's the savory version of a petite cream puff and is made from the same dough - a choux paste. Savory gougeres are typically flavored with cheese or herbs. Though I like to use a finely crumbled blue cheese and boost its flavor with minuscule quantities of cayenne pepper, any cheese can be used. These are really simple to make. They'll take about 15 minutes of your time to assemble. They can be made well in advance of serving, frozen and then reheated if that better suits your game plan. I do like to serve these warm. Here's my version of savory gougeres.

Blue Cheese Gougeres...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

1 cup water of low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

6 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup finely crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2) Combine water, butter,pepper, cayenne, garlic poweder, onion powder and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add flour; mix until dough forms large clumps and films bottom of pan. Remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes.

3) Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons of beaten eggs. Add remainder, in thirds, to flour mixture beating just to incorporate after each addition. Work in crumbled blue cheese.

4) Drop dough by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet about i-inch apart. Brush tops with reserved egg, flattening and peaks as you go.

5 ) Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. and continue to bake for 20 minutes longer. Pierce each puff with a knife to allow steam to escape. If not to be used immediately, cool completely and store in an airtight container or freeze. Yield: 24 gougeres.

I'm send this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

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