The Kitchen Whisperer

Cheese Aigrettes Puffs – KILLER Party Appetizer!

December 31st, 2011 |

I love cheese. No really, I LOOOOOOOOOOVE cheese (well except goat and bleu – they smell like feet thus presumably taste like it! *gag*). I was putzing around the one day with my pate a choux dough and wanted to make something savory and yes, cheesy. I swear I have more cheese in my veins than I do blood! Okay shush.. don’t let my nutritionist hear that, k! So I went to my fridge and opened all the drawers at least twice, stopping a 3rd time in the cheese drawer when I was like “Hmmm… cheesy choux.. OHHHHH YES!!!”

Now you can easily add to this recipe – think chopped bacon, scallions, pepperoni, chicken, broccoli. But if you add the meats, make sure they are cooked first.

Cheese Aigrettes Puffs – KILLER Party Appetizer!

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Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

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Ingredients

1 cup minus 2 tsp AP flour
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
6 tsp cold butter, diced
1 cup minus 2 tsp water
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup coarsely grated Gruyere
Corn oil for frying
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper

Instructions

Sift flour, paprika and salt in a bowl.
Add a generous amount of black pepper (about a good tsp full)
Put the diced butter and water into a medium pan and heat gently.
As soon as the butter melts and the liquid starts to boil quickly add in the flour mixture and beat very hard with a wooden spoon.
Continue beating vigorously over a low heat until the paste comes away cleanly from the sides of the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the paste to cool for 5 minutes.
Gradually beat in the beaten egg to give a stiff dropping consistency that holds the shape on the spoon.
Mix in the Gruyere.
Heat the oil to 350F or until a cube of bread, added to it browns in 45 seconds.
Take a tsp of the choux paste and use a second spoon to slide it into the oil.
Make more aigrettes in the same way.
Deep-fry 3-4 minutes then drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the rest.
Serve them on a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan.