Gougères from pâte à choux

Put the milk, water, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan.

Heat on medium, stirring until the butter melts; when it starts to boil around the edge, add the flour all at once.

Stir gently until it comes together, then beat vigorously, slapping the dough against the side of the pot, to dry it out and cook the flour, at least 3 and up to 5 minutes, until it stiffens into one shiny mass with butter starting to exude.

Transfer to the stand mixer bowl and mix briefly with the paddle to release steam and cool slightly.

Add room-temperature eggs one at a time, letting the dough smooth out between additions; check the texture between the fifth and sixth egg.

Stop adding eggs when the dough falls off the paddle in a V-shaped trail, a thin sheet tapering to a point.

To half the dough, stir in an extra pinch of kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and a pinch of cayenne.

Fold in the grated cheese, holding back about two ounces for topping, until homogeneous.

Fill a pastry bag standing in a glass with its sides folded down, minimizing air pockets; twist the dough down and snip the tip.

Pipe about 35 mounds of roughly a tablespoon and a half in a five-by-seven grid on a baking sheet, about an inch and a half apart; smooth with a wet finger.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Beat an egg until no streaks remain and dab it gently over the mounds; sprinkle a little of the reserved cheese on each.

Bake on the middle rack, immediately turning the oven down to 375, until puffed, golden and brown on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes.