Beignets de Fromage (French Cheese Fritters)

About This Recipe

These cheese beignets are built on choux pastry, the same base used for eclairs and profiteroles, but made savory here with a generous amount of grated gruyere folded through the dough before frying. The choux base is cooked briefly on the stove before eggs are beaten in one at a time, a technique that creates steam pockets inside each fritter as it fries, puffing it up into a light, hollow, almost souffle-like texture. Fried in hot oil until deeply golden, these fritters are best served warm, when the exterior is properly crisp and the cheesy interior is still soft and slightly molten — a popular apero-hour snack across French bistros.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 cupwater
• 6 tbspbutter
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1 cupall-purpose flour
• 4eggs
• 1 cupgrated gruyere cheese
• 1/4 tspblack pepper
• 1/8 tspnutmeg
• 4 cupsvegetable oil(for frying)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the choux base

   Bring water, butter and salt to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in the flour all at once until a smooth dough forms.

2. 2

   Cook briefly

   Return to low heat and stir the dough for 1-2 minutes until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a film on the bottom.

3. 3

   Cool slightly

   Transfer the dough to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the eggs

   Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy.

   The dough should fall slowly off a spoon in a thick ribbon — if it's too stiff, beat in a bit more egg.

5. 5

   Add cheese

   Fold in the grated gruyere, pepper and nutmeg.

6. 6

   Fry

   Drop spoonfuls of the dough into hot oil (350F/175C) and fry 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply golden and puffed.

7. 7

   Drain and serve

   Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Variations

• •

  A version with grated parmesan or comte instead of gruyere works equally well.

• •

  Adding finely diced ham to the dough turns these into a heartier snack.

• •

  Baking spoonfuls of the dough instead of frying gives a lighter, though less crisp, alternative.

Storage

Best eaten fresh and warm; leftovers keep a day at room temperature and can be reheated briefly in a hot oven, though the texture softens once cooled.

Frequently Asked Questions