Zucche Misteriose (Mysterious Pumpkins) - Recipe

   This Halloween treat is a variation of a Cheese Puff video-recipe by GialloZafferano, a culinary channel in Youtube by Italian cook Sonia Peronaci. This recipe was part of their special Halloween lineup. I found this recipe the day before Miss Lou's Halloween party and decided that I had to make them. Then I made them in the middle of all the hurry with the costume and make-up for the party. I'm sure that if made with a little bit more of time you could create a gorgeous masterpiece.

   One fair warning: These are not sweet! That's the first impression most people (myself included) get. They are salty treats with a very strong cheese flavor that somehow remind me of Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish Crackers. The best part is that if you change the food colors you can make treats for any kind of holiday, or simply leave out the colors for a golden brown treat that could make its appearance any time of the year.

   There are several steps, but the recipe is very easy to follow. If you want to try it, I recommend you watch the video first to get a general idea of what you'll need to do. I translated the recipe and converted the measurements for your convenience but I did change some of the ingredients.

I strongly recommend them, they are to die for. :P

Ingredients

Cheese Puff
   -100ml water (3.4oz)
   -6 tbs flour
   -3 tbs butter
   -a pinch of salt
   -2 eggs
   -1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
   -red and yellow food coloring

Filling
   -4.25 oz can of deviled ham
   -8 oz cream cheese
   -1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Garnish
   -4 tbs cream cheese
   -green food coloring

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the water,butter and salt to a boil.
2. Add the flour and remove the saucepan from the heat.
3. Mix vigorously until the ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Return the saucepan to the stove and mix over low heat until a white residue appears on the bottom of the saucepan.
5. Let the dough cool.
6. Once the dough has cooled, add the eggs one at a time and mix well.
7. Mix in the Parmesan cheese.
8. Color the dough using red and yellow food coloring to obtain a bright orange color (I used approximately 23 drops of yellow and 4 of red McCormick food coloring).
9. Fill a piping bag with the colored mixture and pipe small mounds (aprox. 1 inch each) of the mix onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
10. Bake 15 minutes at 425F.
11. After the first 15 minutes lower the temperature to 370F and bake for 10 more minutes.
12. Turn of the oven and let the puffs cool with the door partially open.
13. While the cheese puffs cool, mix the ingredients for the filling and transfer it to a piping bag.
14. Once the cheese puffs have cooled, use the back of a spoon to make a small hole in the bottom of each.
15. Fill the cheese puffs with the deviled ham mixture.
16. Combine 4 tbs of cream cheese with enough green food coloring to obtain a bright green color.
17. Fill a piping bag with the colored cream cheese and use it to garnish the cheese puffs.
18. Store in the fridge before serving.

Enjoy!
If you have any question feel free to ask. Remember, if you make them, please share a picture. I'd love to see. :D