Gougères Filled With Goat Cheese and Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

For the gougères:

• 1 cup water
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino-romano

For the filling:

• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, beat with electric mixer to make it creamy
• 35-40 1-inch square pieces of smoked salmon
• 35-40 1 1/2-inch pieces of fresh chives

Directions:

• To make the gougères: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour and keep stirring until the dough dries up and pulls away from the side of the saucepan. Immediately transfer the dough to the mixing bowl. Mix with the electric mixer, adding one egg at the time, until well incorporated. Fold in the grated cheese. Pour the dough into the piping bag with half-inch tip and pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets (about 1 to 1 1/2-inch in diameter), an inch apart between them (Alternatively, you can drop a teaspoon full of dough onto the baking sheet). Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove form the baking sheet and cool down completely.
• With a pastry knife, make a slit on the side of the gougères. Spoon about half of a teaspoon of goat cheese into the pastry, add a piece of smoked salmon and a chive. Repeat the process with the remaining pastry. 

Makes about 35-40 gougères.