Gougères, a fancy name for cheese puffs, make a simple, yet elegant and delicious party appetizer. Classic gougères are made with Gruyère cheese, but I love the pairing of chorizo with manchego cheese, so when came across this version on food52 I thought it would be fun to try. If you’ve never had a fresh gougère before you are in for a treat – they are light as you pick them up, and feel almost hollow. The outside shell is slightly crispy while the inside is airy, slightly eggy, and awesomely cheesy.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups chorizo, finely diced
• 3/4 cups manchego cheese, finely diced
• 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup water
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup sea salt

Preheat oven to 375°. In a bowl, combine chorizo, cheese, and scallions. Set aside. In a heavy saucepan, bring water, 1/4 tsp. salt, and butter to a boil until butter is melted. Remove from heat and add flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Return the saucepan to medium heat and stir with the wooden spoon until a film develops on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. Transfer dough to an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat the dough for 5 minutes. Stir in the chorizo mixture. Transfer to a pastry bag (or ziploc bag with a tip cut at the end). Pipe dough into 1-inch balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. While the puffs are cooking, combine paprika and sea salt. Remove puffs from the oven and immediately sprinkle with paprika mixture (there probably will be left-over seasoned salt). Serve warm.