Shrimp Puffs

In the 1980's, these appetizer puffs used to be one of my go-to recipes.

I don't know why they fell out of favor, maybe it's because as the years went by I preferred Stuffed Mushrooms and Mr. Terrific has more of an affinity for Lobster Phyllo Cups.

We were filming a cooking show recently (future post alert!) and someone suggested a theme of recipes that can be prepared in advance, frozen, and then reheated quickly when unexpected holiday visitors drop by.

The first recipe that popped into my head was these puff appetizers!

You can make them with shrimp or with bacon and cheddar.  The dough is light and fluffy and inside and slightly crunchy on the outside.  Whether you serve them right out of the oven or freeze them for a later date, you will love these appetizer puffs!

Today's Playlist

• "The Zephyr Song"...Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Santeria"...Sublime
• "Come Out and Play"...The Offspring
• "Ignorance"...Paramore
• "Back Against the Wall"...Cage the Elephant
• "The Girl Got Hot"...Weezer
• "Everybody Talks"...Neon Trees
• "Icky Thump"...The White Stripes
• "Funky But Chic"...New York Dolls
• "Sorry She's Mine"...The Small Faces

Shrimp Puff Appetizers

(makes approximately 20 appetizers)

Printable Recipe

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 cup frozen cooked salad shrimp (thawed, rinsed and drained)
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

OR

For bacon cheddar puffs the following ingredients should be substituted for the shrimp and parmesan cheese:

• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Gather your ingredients.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Cut the butter into smaller pieces (about tablespoon-sized) and place the butter and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, just until butter is melted (cutting the butter into smaller pieces helps it melt faster than if you kept it in one piece).

As soon as the butter melts, add the flour, garlic powder and salt.  Stir rapidly until the dough starts to stick together and leaves the sides of the pan.

After about one minute of stirring, it will look like this.  Remove the pan from your stovetop and let it rest for about 5 minutes, to cool down a bit.

You are going to be adding eggs into the dough, and you don't want to stir them in while the dough is still piping hot off the stove.  Waiting a few minutes prevents them from scrambling!

Add the eggs, one at a time, and thoroughly mix each egg into the dough before adding the next one.

The dough will become less lumpy and smoother with the addition of each egg.

After the third egg has been thoroughly mixed in, stir in the shrimp, scallions and parmesan.

(If you are making bacon cheddar puffs instead of shrimp puffs, stir in the bacon and cheddar at this time instead of the shrimp and parmesan.)

Stir until completely and thoroughly mixed.

Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for approximately 22 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm out of the oven!  Or if you prefer, freeze for a later date.  

If you are going to freeze them, allow them to cool completely, then place them into a zip lock freezer bag in your freezer.  To reheat, take the puffs out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Bake the still-mostly frozen puffs for 5 to 8 minutes, until they are completely thawed and nicely warmed.

Enjoy.