Jim Manningís Gougeres
Yields 3 Dozen

8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup milk, divided
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup flour
4 eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups grated gruyere, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine butter, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; when butter has melted, remove pan from heat. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a thick dough and pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1-2 minutes. Return pan to heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Let dough cool to room temperature, then beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated into mixture. Dough should be thick, shiny and smooth. Add one cup of the cheese and beat in until well combined.
Using a pastry bag or spoon, put tablespoon-size mounds of dough on lined baking sheet, leaving about 1" between each. Brush tops with remaining 1/4 cup milk, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Working in batches, bake in lower third of oven until doubled in size and golden, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations - can be filled with a number of fillings including: Chicken salad, mushroom duxelles, sliced ham and grated gruyere, goat cheese and tapenade.

Jim Manning Catered Affairs provides full service residential and commercial catering and can be reached at 713.880.1054.