Gourgeres

From The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted buter, cut into tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4-5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspooon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly butter them.
2. Combine water, butter and salt in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring until butter is melted.
3. Reduce heat to moderate, add flour all at once, and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 seconds. Continue to cook and stir to remove excess moisture for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
4. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition; batter will appear to separate but will become smooth once beaten. Mixture should be glossy and just stiff enough to hold soft peaks and fall softly from a spoon. If it is too stiff, beat remaining egg in a small bowl and add to batter 1 teaspoon at a time, beating and then testing batter after each addition until it reaches desired consistency.
5. Stir in cheeses, nutmeg and pepper.
6. Fill pastry bag with batter and pipe fifteen 1-inch-diameter mounds 1 inch apart onto each baking sheet. Bake, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking, until puffed, golden, and crisp, about 30 minutes total. Serve warm.