Gougeres

Preheat the oven to 180˚C and line a baking sheet with non-stick paper or a silicon baking sheet. Combine the milk, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. While constantly stirring with a wooden spoon, add all of the flour. Continue stirring for about 3 minutes until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of a mixer and add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between. Once all of the eggs are added and mixture is smooth and shiny, add the cheese, pepper, thyme and NoMU Rub and stir through well to combine. In batches, transfer the mixture to a piping bag (no nozzle is necessary) and pipe 3 cm mounds onto the baking sheet, spacing them evenly 4cm apart. If you do not want to use a piping bag, simply spoon the dough onto the sheet.

Place in the oven for about 25 minutes. They should puff out and turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately cut a small hole in the base of each puff – this allows any excess steam to escape and stops them from going soggy.

Makes: About 30

Note: The uncooked puffs can be frozen on baking slides and removed from the freezer and baked from frozen. I pop them into labelled zip-lock bags once frozen.

Tip: Sprinkle a little water onto the baking tray before baking. This will create extra steam and encourage the pastry to puff