This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe (goat cheese mini puffs, p 7) might have been one to intimidate me a few years ago. I mean – CHOUX PASTRY!! It’s because of French Fridays with Dorie that I have no fear of the stuff – our first ever recipe was gougères which were a cinch (sssh!) and then we ventured into éclairs too, again with great success.
This thing with choux pastry is that when you produce it for guests, everyone is always so impressed. But honestly, it’s dead easy.
I whipped these up in no time at all and, not unlike when I bake macarons, I was found hovering around the oven, watching for the magic moment when they “puff”. I was not disappointed…
These “puffs” gave me so many ideas for (holiday) entertaining. I loved that they LOOKED like regular sweet cream puffs yet when you bit into them there was that wonderfully surprising tang of goat cheese mixed with a few herbs and a little cream cheese and heavy cream. Quite delightful!
The puffs had the lovely little “separation” in their middles where, if you choose, you can open them right up and fill the bottom then put the little lid back on top. Or, you know, if you over zealously fill them from the bottom with a piping bag, it’s the place where the filling will ooze out a little…
Mmmm – cheesy goodness 🙂 And yes, I got a little carried away with not only the filling but also the piping of the actual puffs – they, ahem, weren’t so “mini”. But they were perfect for an apéritif snack anyway. Good to know.
French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs (though this week you are lucky, you can find the recipe online for the cream puffs here and for the goat cheese filling here) rather, we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves (trust me, you definitely want this book!) which you can do here on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Go on, treat yourself then join us here!
Beautiful Mardi!
But seriously – you the are queen of macarons, so I have every confidence you could pull off choux pastry in your sleep 🙂
Have a great weekend.
Oh you are too kind!
Beautifully done, Mardi! I actually prefer a savory puff to a dessert puff…and these did not disappoint 🙂
These were awesome!
Oooh, goats’ cheese profiteroles, I think that I am smitten. 😉
Aren’t they fun?
What lovely little puffs! I like how some of them are oozing goat cheese a little. Like a little tease of what’s waiting inside!
Yeah I liked that too!
Gorgeous color on those puffs! They look adorable and bet they tasted incredible. Have a great weekend Mardi!
They were so tasty!
Beautifully done! I too have made pate a choux many times and once you master this pastry…it’s a cinch! I froze most of my batter so I can bake them up for Thanksgiving appetizers! Lovely photos!!
It is SUCH a cinch. Shhh!
Too true. This one falls squarely into the “never woulda made it without FFwD” category. Dorie is such a great teacher.
Isn’t she?
I was thinking about our other choux pastry recipes and how it seems intimidating, but FFWD has given my confidence to know it’s not. Aren’t we lucky to have this in our bag of kitchen tricks? Funny, I did pipe mine, but I did it through the side. I didn’t think of doing it through the bottom! Your puffs are so cute!
Yes it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve!
I love how yours turned out, piping them really made a difference! They’re perfect!
It really does!
Yours are stunning – as usual….with photos which due your creations justice !! Always such a pleasure to stop by your site 🙂 I am still a bit intimidated by knocking these out but I do have to agree that Dorie makes them “do-able”. Plus I never would have thought to make these a savory (not sure why not…) until I hit page 7. Love !
Dorie does make them do-able!
Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning… ouf… I run out of adjectives but you get my message!!! Well done!! You are also the pate a choux queen now 🙂
Well thanks. It’s not as hard as you probably think!
My mouth is beginning to water… These are so so pretty! I can’t wait to get around to making them! I wish I could keep up with FFwD…I miss it 🙁 … Hopefully when the baby grows a bit more I will be able to get back in!
We’ll be here!
Mardi, this looks amazing!!
Thank you Julie.
These. look. phenomenal!!! And if you say they’re easy, I’m ready to try!
I’ll make them for you next summer!
Your goat cheese puffs look so good, yum Let’s have an aperitif.
LOL – Cheers!
I love the visual pun — and they sound delicious! Gorgeous job, Mardi. I do love a bit of choux pastry.
Yeah choux pastry is so tasty!
These look and sound amazing! Can’t wait to give it a go!
They are way easier than they look!
Where is the recipe?
See the bottom of the post where it says: “French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs (though this week you are lucky, you can find the recipe online for the cream puffs here and for the goat cheese filling here)”