CHEESE PUFF PANCAKE

In yesterday morning's offering from the New York Times, there was a recipe for "Gruyère Puff." They billed it as "a giant, eggy gougère." The picture was this:

A thing of beauty, is it not? Not having yet decided on "what's for dinner?" I thought I'd try this one. Well, you see that cast iron skillet? I gave mine away years ago: too heavy.The recommended 9-inch skillet became a 9-inch pie plate. 

And then there's the Gruyere - all I had on hand was sharp cheddar. I used that. My results don't look the same, and I certainly don't have their photographer. I'm thinking that maybe it's because the pan was not as hot as the skillet when it went into the oven, but this was the result:

It was all puffed up, than it settled to about an inch high. It was delicious.
I served it with Canadian bacon, and we really liked it. This dish will be added to the repertoire.

I've been rethinking the recipe - they had 3 tbsp. of butter in the skillet - too much for the pie pan, and it got very dark. And, we both think it could use more cheddar. Cheddar is the stocked cheese in our house. Never mind the kosher salt, the sea salt, the fresh-ground black pepper, and the unsalted butter. We'll go gourmand rather than gourmet on nights like last night.

So, here's the revised recipe:

    3 large eggs
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 tsp. each salt & Pepper
    4 oz. grated cheddar [or Gruyère :-)]
    2 tbsp. butter

Heat the oven to 400°

In a 2-cup measure, measure the milk, then whisk in the eggs. Mix in the flour, salt and pepper.  Stir in the cheese.

While oven heats, melt the butter in a 9-inch pie pan over the oven exhaust. Swirl the butter to coat the pan. Pour in the batter.

Bake until dark and golden, 25-30 minutes.