tiny gougeres with scallions, parsley, and lemon

I am, as usual, doing four things at once. I decided to re-test a savory gougeres recipe, in anticipation of Thanksgiving Day appetizers, clean the house, paint the trim - no, wait. Maybe I should paint the walls first. Actually, I wonder what the floor would look like a different color.

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Yesterday I wandered around the Benj. Moore displays, which seem to multiply every time I visit. I am quite sure that particular paint company hires poets and painters to name their colors - and these are just the soft grays! Sleigh bells, Winter solstice, Bear creek, Timber wolf, Temptation, French beret, Smoke embers, and my favorite, Going to the chapel. I'm sticking with London Fog for now, but one never knows.

Oh, you want to know about the gougeres?

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Tiny, soft puffs sprinkled with finely minced scallions and parsley, with the zest of a lemon and several scrapings of nutmeg and pepper, with just a hint of parmesan. Mmmmm, perfect for my very late breakfast. I've been told you can freeze the formed but unbaked gougeres, so I'm testing a batch in the freezer , but in the meantime I think these tasty little bites will make a very nice addition to the pre-Thanksgiving nibbles.

To make about two dozen puffs:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Fit two baking sheets with foil or parchment.

6 T. unsalted butter

1 t. kosher salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

several scrapings of nutmeg

several grindings of fresh black pepper

3/4 cup King Arthur all purpose flour

3 extra large eggs

zest of one lemon

4 scallions, finely chopped

3T. minced parsley

2 T. parmesan cheese, grated

Bring one cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the butter, salt, peppers, nutmeg. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour with a whisk. Stir rapidly until it forms a ball, then return to medium heat, stirring another minute or so.

Add the eggs one at a time to the dough, then parmesan, parsley and scallions, and the lemon zest. Scrape mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, and pipe one little circle of dough, then another on top of the first circle, pulling up gently to make a little swirl on top.

Place gougeres in the hot oven, and bake for about 21 minutes, or until gently browned.

Continue with the second sheet.

Let cool a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack with a spatula.

Enjoy your day!