• 1 Cup Water

• 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces

• 3/4 Teaspoon salt

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour

• 4 Large Eggs, chilled

• 1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

• 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bring water, butter, and salt to a simmer (in a heavy saucepan) over medium heat.  Keep whisking until the butter is melted.  Add flour, all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour absorbs all of the liquid and forms a ball, pulling away from the sides of the pan.  Continue to cook, while stirring.  Dough should not be sticky.  This will probably take 1-2 minutes once it pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Remove the pan from heat and let sit for 3-4 minutes.  Using an electric mixer, or by hand, blend in eggs one at a time.  Make sure that the dough/paste is smooth before adding the next egg.  Stir in cheese and pepper.  Dough/paste will be a little lumpy.

Drop dough, by rounded tablespoonful onto lined baking sheet (if making smaller gougères) and space 2-3 inches apart.  If making larger, still space them 2-3 inches apart.  Wet your finger and gently tap down any peaks.  (If you want to be more precise, you can fill a pastry bag with dough/paste and pipe out the mounds.  Use a 1 inch tip for large and 1/2 inch tip for smaller.

Bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.  Use a small sharp knife to check doneness.  Insert knife into gougère.  It should be slightly moist inside.  These taste best served hot from the oven or warm.

**If you like, you can use 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk.  You can also use gruyère, apenzellar, ementaler, manchego cheese in place of the cheddar cheese if you like.  Note: gruyère, apenzellar, and ementaler will melt more smoothly.