Three-Cheese Pastry Puffs

Ingredients

• 1 disk Cheese Pastry Dough
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• About 1 1/4 cups finely shredded gruyère or aged gouda cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, sesame seeds, fresh thyme leaves, or ground pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured board, roll pastry into an 18-inch round. In a bowl, mix mustard and 1 1/2 tablespoons water. Brush dough lightly with mustard mixture.
2. 2. With a 2-inch round cookie cutter, with a decorative or plain edge, cut pastry into rounds. Re-roll scraps and cut more rounds.
3. 3. Place half the pastry rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Pile 3/4 teaspoon shredded cheese onto each round. Cover with remaining pastry rounds, mustard side down, like a sandwich cookie.
4. 4. In a bowl, whisk the egg with 2 tablespoons water. Gently brush all the pastry tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and either the cumin seeds, sesame seeds, thyme, or pepper. Bake until puffed and golden, 10 to 12 minutes (9 minutes in convection oven). Serve warm.
5. Do-ahead tips: Prepare puffs through step 3 up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap. Or freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 week. To bake, place chilled or frozen puffs directly into a 375° oven and bake 12 to 18 minutes.