Mini Puffs with Goat Cheese & Herbs

By sandiB2010

You can bake and freeze the pastry for these little puffs in advance, but wait to add the cheesy, creamy herb filling until just before serving. These creamy, dreamy filled puffs make the perfect adornment to your holiday table. With one mouthful of these appetizers, your guests will demand to have the recipe. These appetizers are also great served at any gathering.

Ingredients

• PASTRY:
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, cut up
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, divided
• FILLING:
• 4 ounces cream cheese with chive and onion
• 3 ounces soft goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, snipped
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill or basil, snipped
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

PASTRY:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a baking sheet; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Add two of the eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition until smooth. Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe 24 1-inch mounds (or spoon batter with a rounded measuring teaspoon), 1-inch apart onto prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush over tops of pastry mounds.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for about 15 minutes. Slice puffs in half horizontally with a serrated knife.

FILLING:

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add parsley, dill or basil, and pepper and mix well. Use a pastry bag to pipe filling onto the bottom half of each puff (or spread each bottom half with a rounded teaspoon of the mixture). Replace tops.

Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 hours.

Bake the pastry puffs up to 1 week in advance and freeze. Thaw overnight before serving.