Cheese Puff Crown Recipes

CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and cayenne to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in Gruyere and mustard. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• 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.

CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine the flour with the salt, black pepper, thyme, chili powder, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Put the milk and butter in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. When the butter melts, turn heat to low. Add the seasoned flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Separate the white and yolk from one egg, reserving the yolk for glazing.
• Put the dough into a large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for one minute. Then beat in one egg and the extra egg white. Beat until completely absorbed into the dough. Then add the remaining 4 eggs, one at a time, waiting each time until the previous egg is completely absorbed. After all 5 eggs (plus the one egg white) have been incorporated, the dough should be smooth and satiny.
• Add the Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses, and pepperoni if you are using it. Incorporate thoroughly into the dough.
• Use a pastry bag to pipe dough onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. You can also drop dough from a teaspoon. For tiny puffs, mounds should be about 1/2 inch in diameter. From small appetizers, mounds should be 1 inch in diameter. For puffs large enough for filling, mounds should be 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Keep the size of the puffs uniform so they bake properly. Space puffs about 1 inch apart.
• Beat the remaining egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of milk to make a glaze. Lightly brush the tops of the puffs with glaze before baking. Sprinkle tops with your Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes (5 minutes for tiny puffs). Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake 10 minutes more for tiny puffs; 15 to 20 minutes longer for medium or large puffs, or until puffs are golden brown. Test by removing a puff from the oven and breaking it open. The inside should be baked through. If it is still doughy or wet, bake another 5 minutes.
• Remove pans from oven and leave puffs on pans until cool enough to serve.

CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Soften cheese and work all ingredients together with hands, and roll into balls the size of marbles.
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
• Makes 6 dozen.
• Note: These can be frozen for months.
• To freeze: place on cookie sheet, freeze then store in plastic bag.
• Bake when needed.

CHEESE CROWNS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease bottoms and sides of 12 jumbo muffin cups, 3.5 x 1.75 in., or 6-oz custard cups with shortening.
• Place 1 sheet of could puff pastry on lightly floured surface. Cut into four squares. Press each square gently into muffin cup, pulling the four corners up and out of cup. Press corners down on muffin pan. Repeat with remaining sheets of puff pastry.
• Mix flour, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut margarine into the mixture, then put a heaping tablespoon in the bottom of each pastry cup.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Pour about 1/3 c of the cream cheese mixture into each cup (on top of the pecan mixture).
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown. Cool 15 mins., then remove from pan. Refrigerate uncovered about 1 hr or until chilled; cover and continue refrigerating no longer than 48 hours.

CHEESECAKE CROWNS

Steps:

• Thaw three puff pastry sheets (save remaining sheet for another use). Unfold pastry; cut each into four squares. Gently press squares into greased jumbo muffin cups, pulling corners up and out of cups; press corners down onto muffin pan. , In a small bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle 1 heaping tablespoonful into each muffin cup. , In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Spoon into pastry cups., Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until filling is almost set and pastry is golden brown. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour or until set. , For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and enough water to achieve a drizzling consistency. Garnish crowns with fresh berries if desired; drizzle with glaze. Refrigerate leftovers.

SUNNY'S QUICK CHEESE PUFF SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the pastry out flat on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Brush off any excess flour. In a small bowl, combine the mustard with a splash of water to loosen. Brush the mustard over the entire top of the pastry.
• In a small bowl, stir together the cheese, thyme and a few grinds of black pepper. Sprinkle the entire sheet of pastry with the cheese mixture. Gently roll the top of the pastry again to lightly embed the topping into the pastry. Cut into 2-inch squares and pinch one set of opposite corners together on each square or leave flat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until the squares are puffed and golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHEESE PUFF APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
• In a small bowl, mix together cheese, butter, flour, and Worcestershire sauce. Knead the dough. Pinch the dough into small balls, flatten them in the palm of your hand, then roll each circle of dough around one stuffed olive. Arrange the wrapped olives on the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes until lightly brown.