Ina First Fridays: Gougeres

This month, we're concentrating on appetizers. I make Ina's gougeres all the time, couldn't be simpler and everyone loves them. This photo is an old one, taken in a hurry before everyone grabbed them off the plate LOL. Don't they look light, puffy and cheesy?
You can shape the little gougeres and freeze them for up to 2 months before you bake them. There's no need to defrost the frozen puffs, just bake them a couple of minutes more. How easy is that?

Gougeres
From Barefoot in Paris, 2004

Ingredients:

 1 cup milk

1/4-pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch nutmeg

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 extra-large eggs

1/2 cup grated Gruyere, plus extra for sprinkling

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg over medium heat, until scalded. Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add the eggs, Gruyere, and Parmesan and pulse until the eggs are incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4-inch high onto the baking sheets. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. (You can also use 2 spoons to scoop out the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.) Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch of Gruyere. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown outside but still soft inside.

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Ina Fridays participants:

•  Alyce @ More Time at the Table
•   Anna @ Cheese with Noodles
•   Barbara @ Moveable Feasts  
•   Bhavna @ Just a Girl From AAmchi Mumbai..
•   Chaya @  Bizzy Bakes
•   Linda,  @ Tumbleweed Contessa
•   Mary @ The Egg Farm
•   Minnie @ The Lady 8 Home
•   Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
•   Patti @ Comfy Cuisine
•   Peggy@ Pantry Revisited
•   Rocky Mountain Woman @ Rocky Mountain Woman
•   Veronica@ My Catholic Kitchen
• Linda @ There and Back Again