Red Pepper Asiago Gougère Bites

Red Pepper Asiago Gougère Bites

Gougère, a cream puff-like pastry, is easy to make. These warm, savory mini bites are a perfect holiday appetizer.

15 min.prep time
1:35 total time

50-72 gougere bites

1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) finely shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese (or any cheese you love)

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (next time I may try chopped kalamata olives)

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried. (May substitute other herbs- I used marjoram)

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure parchment is cut within the sheet (I had trouble with burning paper at the edges). Set aside.

Place water and butter in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil (6 to 8 minutes). Reduce heat to low; stir in flour and garlic salt vigorously until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 cup cheese, bell pepper and basil.

Immediately drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. The dough is very sticky. Use your right hand to scoop with the measure and the other hand, dipped in a bowl of flour, ready to scoop the glop and put it on the sheet. Sprinkle each with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

English Muffin Pizzas

Very humble, I know. The taster wanted pizza for dinner and I didn't have dough on hand! But in a pinch, english muffins are fine. They also are good for portion control.

Royal Icing

I finally conquered royal icing! For years I have admired beautiful confections and while intrigued by them, the internet did not exist like it does now. Google search royal icing and you will come up with many variations. I attempted this before and on a couple occasions spent unnecessary dollars on powdered egg whites. What I've learned: for real glue strength, save the expense and use the real thing. Fear not salmonella. Your glaze will dry hard and no bacteria can survive there. It took some internet research for me to to trust and feel comfortable with this notion.

Two months ago I made some gingerbread cookies and saved the remaining dough in the freezer. Perfect! I also 'cheated' and used Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (just add 1/2 stick butter & 2 Tb water) to make additional cookies. The mix was fine, you just need to really chill the dough (pop it in the freezer for a few) and flour it as you roll it out, much like any other dough. I let Andrew help with this part, he really wanted to roll. Little does he know, Santa is giving him a mini alligator rolling pin for Christmas!

This recipe is for the glue that holds gingerbread houses together. I suggest when making a cookie glaze or paint, make this first then thin by adding lemon juice and/or water. You could experiment by adding water and a flavored extract (vanilla, almond, orange, etc.). A decorated cookie always tastes better!

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar (helps stabilize egg whites)
3 egg whites from large eggs

Beat with a whisk on low speed until well blended, then beat on high speed until it holds stiff peaks, 7-9 minutes.
Use a spatula or other scraping device to divide mixture into two or more sandwich bags or piping bags. Seal the bag well, any air will cause hardening. When using from a baggie, you can control the flow. Be aware of this as you snip a triangle off a corner. It is better to cut a small piece off. I found it helpful to pinch and tape the end shut or else fold over the side to keep air out. I used my prepared icing over a couple days of cookie making, just keep unused portions in the fridge.

I had a lot of fun with this, using food coloring, a plastic (washable) paint palette and new brushes. You could just use small plates and small spoons. Later I learned it was easier to just dip the cookies in the glaze and touch up with s dipped spoon if necessary. The fun part is putting sprinkles on!

My sidekick chef Andrew and I decided that Christmas cookie-making be our new annual tradition, for sure!