Irish Beer Cheese Puffs Recipe

I like to post a St. Patrick's Day-themed video every year around this time, and those recipes fall into one of three groups. Sometimes they're traditional, fairly authentic classics like soda bread or colcannon; others are iconic Irish-American staples like corned beef and cabbage; and then there's a third group of recipes, which are things that sound Irish, but are most definitely not, and these Irish Beer Cheese Puffs are a perfect example. I traveled through Ireland as a young man, and I saw exactly zero beer cheese puffs, but I did see Irish cheese, beer, and butter, which are all featured prominently in these tasty, and very easy, snacks. As far as the Spring Onion Mascarpone spread goes, I just thought it would make for a great complementary spread, and it did, but Michele thinks it was due to less obvious, subconscious influences. She's half Italian, and half Irish, and feels like that was the actual reason. Maybe it was a little of both. You could serve these with another type of dip, or none at all, since they're certainly tasty enough to enjoy plain. Or, as I mentioned in the video, cut them open and stuff something delicious inside. I was thinking about filling them with a mustardy, corned beef salad, but that was just one of many ideas that came to mind. Anyway, whether you serve these as shown, or give them your own twist, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cheese Puffs:

• 4 tablespoons Irish-style butter
• cup Irish stout beer (such as Guinness Extra Stout)
• teaspoon kosher salt
• teaspoon white sugar
• cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• cup grated sharp Irish Cheddar cheese, plus more to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

Spread:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped leeks, washed thoroughly and drained
• teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons water, or as needed
• cup sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• cup mascarpone cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1: Gather all the ingredients and preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner, such as Silpat.

Step 2: In a saucepan, combine butter, beer, salt, and sugar. Heat over medium-high until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a simmer. Add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together (about 30 seconds). Continue to cook and stir until the dough begins to dry out and sticks to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute.

Step 3: Turn off the heat and keep stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes, scraping as much of the dough off the bottom of the pan as you can. Transfer the dough into a bowl.

Step 4: Add one egg to the dough and whisk it in. Continue whisking in small portions of dough until fully incorporated. Repeat with the second egg, cleaning the whisk as needed, until the dough is sticky.

Step 5: Stir in cup of grated Cheddar cheese and cayenne pepper until fully incorporated. Scoop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Press a little extra Cheddar cheese on top of each puff.

Step 6: Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the puffs are puffed up and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and crack the door slightly. Let the cheese puffs cool for 30 minutes without disturbing them.

Step 7: While the puffs are cooling, prepare the spread. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped leeks and teaspoon salt, and cook while stirring for 7 to 10 minutes until the leeks are barely tender. Add a splash of water every few minutes to prevent browning.

Step 8: Stir in the green onions and saut for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the leek and onion mixture to a bowl and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 9: Once the leek mixture has cooled, stir in lemon juice and mascarpone cheese. Mix well until fully combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until the cheese puffs have finished cooling.

Step 10: Serve the cheese puffs with the spread. Enjoy!