Gruyère Cheese Puffs

January 20: National Cheese Lovers Day

We previously posted a recipe for pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread), which is similar to Gruyère cheese puffs without the chewy texture. This French gougere recipe is soft and light—and addicting! Pop these puffs in your mouth and prove you love cheese on National Cheese Lovers Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from People magazine)

Ingredients

• 8 ½ tablespoons water
• 8 ½ tablespoons milk
• 7 tablespoons salted butter (we used European style butter)
• pinch of salt
• 1 ¾ cup flour
• 4 eggs
• 7 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (see Notes). In a large saucepan, boil the water, milk, butter and salt over medium heat, taking care not to scald the milk and butter. Stir in the flour all at once and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a smooth dough is formed.

Transfer to a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in the cheese until well mixed (the cheese will melt slightly).

Place dough into a pastry/piping bag and pipe our 1-inch balls on the parchment paper, leaving 1-inch spaced apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until the puffs have risen and are golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Notes

• We placed a 1-inch round macaron pattern underneath the parchment paper to guide us when piping out the puffs. Remove the pattern before baking.
• Check out our other cheese recipes by searching our blog.

Filipino Chicken Curry

January 12: National Curried Chicken Day

We have cooked different chicken curries for our blog before. But Islander seems to have gone back to the basics with her family’s Filipino-style chicken curry recipe for National Curried Chicken Day. This tasty dish is sometimes served at Filipino buffets and fiestas.

The Philippines were ruled by the Indianized kingdom of the Hindu Majapahit, Khmer Empire and Buddhist Srivijaya for 2,000 years before the islands were colonized by Spain. There is still a big population of Indians in some areas. Thus, the Indian culture has influenced Filipino cuisine. This recipe fuses Indian curry spices with sour patis (Filipino fish sauce) to give this dish its distinct flavor.

For a Filipino fusion food, try this Pinoy-style chicken curry recipe on National Curried Chicken Day.

Recipe

• 1-2 pounds chicken legs or thighs
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 cup water
• ½ – 1 cup baby carrots
• 1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 bell pepper, cut into large squares
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the vegetables by cutting the potatoes, onion and bell peppers. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot. Cook the potatoes on medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to the pot. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and lightly brown the chicken pieces. Add the onions and garlic to the chicken and sauté until the onions have softened. Season with patis (fish sauce).

Sprinkle in the curry powder. Stir well with the water. Add the carrots and potatoes. Cover, lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the coconut milk. Mix in the bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve hot with rice.

Notes

• Bottled patis (fish sauce) may be found in the Asian section of some grocery stores or in Asian markets.
• Search our blog for more chicken curry recipes.
• Find more Filipino recipes under the ethnic section of our Theme Menus.

Lentil Soup with Lemon

January 6: National Bean Day

We are but a few days into the new year and our resolution to eat healthier is fulfilled with this recipe for lentil soup with lemon. In some countries (like Italy, Hungary and Lebanon), these lucky legumes are considered an auspicious new year’s food. The beans’ flat and round shape resembles coins and, when cooked in liquid, the lentils plump up, symbolizing growing wealth. Health and wealth in a bowl are a wonderful way to ring in the new year as well as celebrate National Bean Day!

Recipe

Adapted from Sol S.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lentils (preferably red lentils), rinsed
• 6 cups water (or chicken or vegetable stock)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5+ cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the lentils and cook covered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan. Saute the chopped onions and minced garlic until soft and fragrant.

Add the onion-garlic mixture to the lentils. Stir in the ground cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro leaves. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot with flat breads.

Notes

• Lentil soup with lemon is also a good recipe to make during January (National Soup Month). We also like to eat lentil soup on Lent Fridays—it is simply delicious while fasting from meat dishes.
• Thanks to our Syrian chef friend, Sol. S., for sharing this recipe with us.
• Search our blog for more bean and soup recipes.