Two-Cheese Gougères

Gougères are cheese puffs made from pâte à choux (also known as choux paste), the same light, airy pastry that is the basis of so many classic French desserts, including éclairs and profiteroles. Edward Delling-Williams of The Presbytere restaurant in Normandy, France, showed us how he makes extra-large gougères (most are smallish two- or three-bite affairs, whereas his were biscuit-sized). For our adaptation, we use Comté cheese (Gruyère works, too, though its flavor is milder) plus a little Parmesan. We incorporate a majority of the cheese before adding the eggs, which gave us gougères that were more flavorful throughout and with smoother exteriors. A little Dijon mustard balances the richness of the butter and cheese. Serve as an appetizer or as part of a charcuterie board. Or split them like buns and fill them with sliced cured meats and cheese to make elegant sandwiches.