Cheesy puffs aka Profiteroles
Recipe courtesy of Anne Kearney, 1998
Yields 30 pieces
1cup milk
1cup water or mild stock
6oz. butter
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
2 cups flour
2 oz. grated Gruyere
4-6 large eggs, room temperature
In a medium saucepot, bring the milk, water, butter, salt and pepper to a boil.
Pour the flour into the pot and stir with a wooden spoon, stir and cook until the dough begins
to pull away from the side of the pan and ball forms. Place the dough in the work bowl of
your kitchen aid with the paddle attachment. Turn on low, adds the cheese. Mix slowly,
adding the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg the completely incorporate into the dough.
You may or may not need all of the eggs. After you add 4 of the eggs, rub a little dough
between your thumb and index finger. When you gently pull your fingers apart the dough
should pull in resilient strands, if it does, it has enough eggs. Place the dough into a large
pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe out into quarter or 50ct. sized rosettes onto a lined sheet
tray (1” apart) and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. I rotate top to bottom and front
to back in the oven during this time to promote even cooking. Pull one off of the tray, crack it
open. It should be golden and crisp on the outside and the inside and it should be set. Not
dry inside but the dough should look set. Allow the tray to sit for 5-10 minutes before you
serve them once you remove them from the oven. If you are making the dough a day in
advance divide the dough up into bullets. Be sure to pull the dough to tender 1-1 ½ hours
prior to needing to pipe it or you will have one heck of a job on your hands. If you intend to
cook them the day that the dough is made, go ahead and pipe them out onto the lined trays
and refrigerate until needed. Temper the trays for 30 minutes prior to baking.
