The Frontier House Cheese Puffs
Recipe: #31757
April 08, 2019
Categories: Side Dishes, Snacks, Dairy, Appetizers, North American, Make-Ahead, Entertaining, Deep Fry, Stove Top, Make it from scratch, Flour, Spices more
"This recipe comes from the infamous "Frontier House" hotel/inn and is delicious served as an appetizer party food or alongside steak, chicken or other meats/fish. The Frontier House was once the best hostelry in the Niagara Falls area (Lewiston, NY) whose guests included Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, President William McKinley, boxer John L. Sullivan, and politician and orator Henry Clay, among many others. I believe it is no longer in business, but it is also known to be haunted."
Ingredients
- FOR SAUCE
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- FOR PUFFS
Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (265.1 g)
- Calories 535.7
- Total Fat - 37.6 g
- Saturated Fat - 19.6 g
- Cholesterol - 518.1 mg
- Sodium - 1147.6 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 29.4 g
- Dietary Fiber - 3.5 g
- Sugars - 9.7 g
- Protein - 22.3 g
- Calcium - 183.6 mg
- Iron - 3.4 mg
- Vitamin C - 0.6 mg
- Thiamin - 0.2 mg
Step by Step Method
SAUCE
Step 1
Melt butter in a 1 quart saucepan.
Step 2
Add onion; cook until tender.
Step 3
Stir in flour and blend with a wire whisk until smooth. Cook 1 minute. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper.
Step 4
In a small bowl, mix dry mustard and water. Add prepared mustard and honey to dry mustard; blend well.
Step 5
Stir mustard mixture into sauce; blend well. Reserve.
PUFFS
Step 6
Heat water, butter and salt to the boiling point in a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan.
Step 7
Add flour all at once, beating vigorously wiht a wooden spoon. Cook over low heat, beating constantly, until mixture pulls away from the sides of teh pan and forms a ball in the center.
Step 8
Transfer paste to a medium bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition. Mixture should be stiff and glossy.
Step 9
Stir in cheese, dry mustard, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce.
Step 10
Heat 2-inches of oil in a heavy saucepan or deep fryer to 375-degrees F.
Step 11
Drop 1 heaping teaspoon of the batter into the hot fat to make each puff. Fry 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown, about 2 - 3 minutes.
Step 12
Test done-ness, but cutting one puff in half to see that it is cooked through completely, if not lower heat slightly to cook through without over browning.
Step 13
With a slotted spoon, remove the puffs to drain on a paper towels or slotted rack to drain.
Step 14
If mustard sauce isn't already hot, reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve puffs with hot mustard sauce.
NOTE I: These cheese puffs can be prepared ahead, making entertaining super easy. Puffs and sauce, separately packed, will freeze very well for 2 - 3 months. Thaw puffs, and warm uncovered on a tray in a preheated 350-degrees F. oven for 5 minutes or until crisp.
NOTE II: Puffs can be refrigerated and then reheated as above, but they will not be as crisp. Sauce will keep well refrigerated for about 1 week and would also be good served with meats and poultry.
Tips & Variations
No special items needed.