Vermont Cheddar Gougères with Smoked Salmon Filling

Name: Vermont Cheddar Gougères with Smoked Salmon Filling
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 8 tablespoons (1 stick) Cabot Salted Butter, cut into cubes; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon sugar; 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour; 4 large eggs; 6 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar or Cabot Private Stock Cheddar, grated (about 1½ cups); ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided; 1 teaspoon dry mustard; Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne); 8 ounces Cabot Vermont Premium Cream Cheese, softened; ½ -1 cup finely minced smoked salmon (or use crumbled bacon or minced ham); ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives; 1 tablespoon hot sauce; About 3 tablespoons Cabot Sour Cream; ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper

Servings

24 appetizers

Looking for crowd-pleasing smoked salmon starters to serve at a party? Gougères, savory French cheese puffs made from pate a choux dough and mixed with cheese, make perfect bite-size appetizers that will add a touch of elegance to any menu. While traditionally made with grated gruyere cheese, other cheeses can be substituted so, of course, our recipe uses Cabot cheddar! And our gourgès filling is nothing short of spectacular, combining Cabot Vermont Premium Cream Cheese, minced smoked salmon, fresh chives, hot sauce, chopped red bell pepper and Cabot Sour Cream. Trust us, once you make your first batch, you’ll be adding these gems to every party menu! Feel free to share this popular French pastry recipe with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

To Make 24 Cheddar Gougères:

Preheat oven to 425°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat water, cubed Cabot Salted Butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan until butter is melted.

Add all of the flour and stir vigorously until the mixture breaks away from the side of pan and forms a smooth ball.

Remove from heat and let rest for two minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly so the egg doesn’t cook. Stir until the dough is firm, smooth and waxy.

Add all of the grated Cabot Sharp Cheddar (or Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar or Cabot Private Stock Cheddar), all but 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, dry mustard and ground red pepper to the saucepan. Stir until well blended.

Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe dough into two dozen small round mounds, evenly separated. Sprinkle tops with remaining Parmesan and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until completely golden brown.

To Make Gougères Filling:

Beat the Cabot Vermont Premium Cream Cheese, smoked salmon, fresh chives and hot sauce together. Then stir in enough of the Cabot Sour Cream for the filling to reach proper consistency and stir in red peppers.

Make a small slit in the side of each gougère. Scrape filling into a pastry bag or plastic bag and cut off a corner of the bag. Squeeze some of the filling into each gougère, arrange on a plate and dig in!

On a salmon kick? Try our Simple Salmon Cakes with Greek Yogurt next. Did you know Cabot is a co-operative of farm families who continuously strive to produce the best dairy products around? If you love these cheddar gougères, we’d really appreciate it if you could rate and review the recipe when you have the chance.

Ingredients

Gougères:

1 cup water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) Cabot Salted Butter, cut into cubes
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 large eggs
6 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar or Cabot Private Stock Cheddar, grated (about 1½ cups)
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)

Filling:

8 ounces Cabot Vermont Premium Cream Cheese, softened
½ -1 cup finely minced smoked salmon (or use crumbled bacon or minced ham)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon hot sauce
About 3 tablespoons Cabot Sour Cream
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper

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Directions

To Make Gougères:

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
HEAT water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan until butter is melted.
ADD flour all at once and stir vigorously until mixture breaks away from side of pan and forms smooth ball.
REMOVE from heat and let rest for two minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, stirring quickly so egg doesn’t cook, until dough is firm, smooth and waxy.
ADD all of cheddar, all but 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, mustard and red pepper, and stir until well blended.
TRANSFER mixture to a pastry bag fitted with large plain tip. Pipe dough into two dozen small round mounds, evenly separated. Sprinkle tops with remaining Parmesan.
BAKE for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer or until completely golden brown.

To Make Filling:

BEAT together cream cheese, salmon, chives and hot sauce.
STIR in sour cream to achieve proper consistency for filling. Stir in red peppers.
MAKE a small slit in side of each gougère. Scrape filling into pastry bag or plastic bag. Cut off corner and squeeze some of filling into each gougère.