Gougères - little puffs of magic

OK, I think I mentioned before that I'm addicted to the "Create" channel. It's a secondary cable channel produced by PBS, and it contains mainly cooking, craft, travel and DIY shows.

I'm about to invoke a name that has many connotations, both good and bad:

Martha Stewart.

I know. I KNOW! But back in 2009 she produced a series of shows called "Martha Bakes". It goes over several basic, classic recipes. One episode is entirely devoted to "pate a choux", which is a very versatile basic batter that can be used for sweet or savory baked treats.

Here's the recipe from her website:

http://www.marthastewart.com/339149/gougeres

I, of course, made a couple of changes. First, Gruyere or Comte is a bit expensive. Being a Yankee, I substituted Cabot Sharp Cheddar. Because it has a stronger taste, you can cut down on the amount used. I went with a cup of the grated cheddar rather than 1 1/2 cups. Second, I don't happen to own a pastry bag, so I used a 1-gallon ZipLock bag and just cut a corner off the bottom of it. Presto: instant pastry bag. Other than that I followed the recipe to the letter.  The results were tasty.  They were not as puffy as they're supposed to be, so next time I might add another egg.