Blue Cheese Puffs with Smoked Paprika and Olives by Paris House

These little finger puffs are uncomplicated, delicious and full of flavour.  Chef Phil Fanning likes to refer to them as posh cheesy wotsits which is very fitting. The richness of the cheese but light pillowy soft texture make them the perfect moreish snack for watching a film!

If you haven’t got blue cheese, try substituting cheddar or whatever you have to hand. Have fun being creative with this recipe! If you want you can make the batter for these the day before by adding a pinch of xanthum gum to the dough/mixture. Often used in gluten free baking the xanthum gum helps to binds things together more.

Recipe Courtesy of Paris House

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

• 20cm Copper Tri-Ply Saucepan
• Blender
• Piping Bag
• 20cm Copper Tri-Ply half full (1-2 litres of vegetable oil) or a Deep Fat Fryer
• Stainless Steel Skimmer spoon or Deep Fryer Basket

Ingredients

Blue Cheese Puffs:

• 140g Water
• 65g Butter
• 70g Plain flour
• 100g whole eggs
• 85g Stilton
• 35g Parmesan
• 1 pinch of Xanthum (optional)

Smoked Paprika Salt:

• 4tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar

To Serve:

• Unpasteurised green olives.

Cooking Method

Blue Cheese Puffs:

1. In a medium, heavy based sauce pan, bring the water and butter to the boil.
2. Add the flour and immediately beat well to incorporate.
3. Continue to mix over a medium heat and cook out for 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, add xanthum and then slowly incorporate the eggs.
5. Add cheese and beat well.
6. Transfer the mix to a blender, add the cheese and blitz until smooth.
7. Place into a piping bag and chill in the fridge.
8. When ready to serve, squeeze a finger width log of the mix from the piping bag and with a pair of scissors, snip small nuggets into a 20cm saucepan or deep fat fryer heated to a 180ºC.
9. Fry the puffs until crisp and golden. Stir them as they cook to give them a uniform colour.
10. Remove from the fryer and drain on paper.

Smoked Paprika Salt:

1. Mix well.

To Serve:

1. Season with the paprika salt and serve immediately.
2. Serve the puffs with a bowl of unpasteurized green olives.