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Lighter Than Air Parmesan Puffs




Source of Recipe


www.kingarthurflour.com


Recipe Introduction


"These puffs, a simple variation on cream puff shells, are easy to make and hard to stay away from when you set them, hot, crisp, and steaming, on the buffet table. Vary the cheese type if you like; Parmesan (or Romano) works well because it’s such a dry cheese. Richer, oilier cheeses will work, but may prevent the puffs from popping quite so boisterously. At any rate, don’t go so far as runny Brie or St. André; their flavors are too subtle, and their consistency isn’t right for this recipe."




List of Ingredients




1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper OR a couple of dashes Tabasco sauce
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 large eggs


Recipe



In a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat, bring the water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil, boiling and stirring till the butter is completely melted. Add the flour all at once and stir over the heat till the mixture forms a smooth ball; this should only take 20 seconds or so. Remove the pan from the heat, and transfer the dough to the bowl of your electric mixer. (If you have a hand mixer, you may leave the dough in the saucepan.)

Beat in the Parmesan cheese, then add the eggs to the dough one at a time, beating well after each addition. The dough will become very smooth and shiny. Since eggs, even within a size range, vary quite a bit, check the dough after you’ve added 3 eggs. If it’s smooth, shiny, and has a pudding-like consistency (e.g., if you were to drop a tablespoonful onto a baking sheet, it would be fairly smooth, but would hold its shape nicely and not spread), then don’t add the remaining egg.

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon, drop large chestnut-sized (1 1/4-inch or so) balls of dough on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between them. Bake the puffs in a preheated 425°F oven for 45 minutes, until they’re puffed and golden brown. Remove them from the oven, pierce the top of each carefully with the tip of a sharp knife, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. They’ll be crispy-crunchy, with soft insides, hot from the oven; they’ll gradually soften all over as they cool. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.


Yield: 2 dozen 2 1/2-inch puffs.