Gougère aux légumes à la hungry Etienne

(Very loosely based on this & other recipes.)

For the choux pastry:

7 ounces (8/10 of a cup) water
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup white flour
half a tsp salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup finely grated cheese of your preferred variety (I like provolone)


For the filling:

1 tbsp butter or margarine
A carrot, finely chopped
Half a large white onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped pepper (about half a pepper)
1/3 to 1/2 cup diced tofu
2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp flour
10 ounces (about 1 & 1/4 cup) milk or coconut milk
1 tbsp dried basil
Salt & pepper to taste

You will need:

2 large skillets
A deep, oven-safe (glass or ceramic) bowl, pre-greased

An alibi

Part I: Preparing the choux paste

1. In a skillet, melt butter into water.
2. Slowly stir in flour & salt. Mix until the preparation is more or less even & does not adhere to the skillet.
3. Remove from heat & let cool while you prepare the filling.

Part II: Preparing the filling

1. In your other skillet, braise carrot, onion, mushrooms, pepper & tofu for three minutes or so.
2. Add flour & turmeric.
3. Progressively add milk. Reduce heat considerably. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.

Part III: Finishing the choux paste

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. Incorporate the eggs to the paste one at a time.
3. Incorporate the finely grated cheese. Now it should really hold together. If it does not... add cheese?
4. Drop choux paste in your greased bowl. Shape it like a donut or an inverted funnel.

Part IV: The rest

1. Add the basil to your sauce. Give it one last good stir.
2. Pour the filling into your choux paste crater. Try to pull the choux paste to close over the filling somewhat, though not entirely.
3. Place in oven. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes. The choux paste should rise & become golden brown.
4. While your gougère is in the oven, why not visit Avaaz & sign a few petitions?

5. About 5 minutes before you take it out of the oven, you may want to throw some extra cheese on there, just to be safe... from Them!
6. Take out of oven. Make sure to let the gougère cool a few minutes before serving unless you really don't care about your guests getting scalded.

7. If you really don't care about your guests getting scalded, why not assault them with both your skillets? It's unlikely that they will have seen it coming.

8. Clean all of your cooking implements.

9. Dispose of the bodies.

You can use your preferred combination of vegetables if you're not crazy about carrots, mushrooms, peppers or onions. You could even use pre-cooked chicken instead of tofu.