Salmon Gougeres (Salmon and Cream Cheese filled French Cheese Puffs)

What is a gougere and why does my blog talk about something so gourmet sounding?  A gougere is a tasty cheesy puff ball of pastry.  It's quite simple to make and I think lends itself very well to lots of creative ideas.  One of those creative ideas is to stuff them with a salmon and cream cheese mixture!  I was inspired by not wanting to eat just healthy salmon and cauliflower rice.  After some google sleuthing, I saw a recipe for Cheddar and Smoked Salmon gougeres, which was not what I wanted, but I would take that inspiration and make it my own.  Make it your own too, and try it out with other protein and cheeses!  So, here is my creative weeknight gourmet meal for you to try out!  

Salmon Gougeres
Inspired by Cabot Cheese

Gougères:

1 cup water
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
4 large eggs
6 ounces Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)
Filling:
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 salmon filets, cooked and chopped fine.  I cooked the salmon filets whole the same time as the gougeres.
2 tbsp basil
Pinch of mustard

Pinch of cayenne

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions:

To make gougères:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In saucepan, heat water, butter, salt and sugar until butter is melted.

3. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until mixture breaks away from side of pan and forms smooth ball.

4. Remove from heat and let rest for two minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, stirring quickly so egg doesn't cook, until dough is firm, smooth and waxy.

5. Add all of mozzarella, all but 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, mustard and red pepper, and stir until well blended.

6. Using a cookie dough scoop to portion the dough onto the parchment paper.  They don't spread so you don't have to worry about leaving a lot of room between them.

7. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer or until completely golden brown.

To make filling:
1. Beat together cream cheese, ricotta cheese, spices, salmon and basil

2. Split each gougère. Spoon some filling into each one and enjoy!

Sandwich Fondue? Knife and Fork Fondue? Sloppy Fondue?

Well, tonight I started out wanting to make meatballs but got lazy.  I went on pinterest and saw some recipes for a Philly Cheesesteak dip, which was very interesting and was something I was potentially more interested in.  That's where the inspiration came from, but this dish is more fondue like, or so I think.  It's up to you to decide what to call this, but just know that it is very yummy!  Can you really go wrong with meat, cheese sauce and bread?  No, you cannot! Let me know what you think!

Ground Beef Mixture
one shallot minced
1 lb ground beef (turkey would work well too!)
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
minced garlic
Splash of hot sauce

Cheese Sauce
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan
Splash of hot sauce

Hoagie rolls

Ground Beef Mixture
Preheat a pan over medium heat and add the meat, shallot and garlic.  Cook until the meat is almost brown and then add the onion powder, salt and pepper and hot sauce and cook until the meat is completely browned.

Cheese Sauce
Heat a sauce pan over low heat and add the butter and minced garlic and cook until the butter is melted.  Add the flour, onion powder, salt and pepper and hot sauce and whisk until the mixture is light brown.  Slowly add the milk and the yogurt and allow to cook together for a few minutes.  Quickly stir in the cheeses and set aside.

Serve the beef and the cheese sauce over a toasted hoagie roll and enjoy!