Cacio E Pepe Cheese Puffs

Ingredients

Prep

• Egg - beat 1 egg with 1 tsp of water to make an egg wash
• Pecorino cheese - ground
• Parmesan cheese - ground — this is the little hinge that swings the big delicious door.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, butter, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper over medium heat just until the milk is scalded (the temperature just before boiling point). Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add the eggs, 1/2 cup of Pecorino and the Parmesan and pulse until the eggs and cheeses are completely incorporated. Working in batches, spoon the mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a plain 5/8-inch round pastry tip. Pipe the dough in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4 inch high on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper, while acting like this outcome was inevitable. They will resemble Hershey kisses. With a wet finger, lightly press down on the swirl on top of each puff, while resisting the deeply human urge to fuss with it nonstop. You can also use two spoons to scoop the mixture and shape the puffs if you prefer. Brush the top of each puff lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with Pecorino, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned. Rotate the pans halfway through so they brown evenly and serve hot.