Asparagus-Parmesan Cheese Puffs

Snap off the tough ends from the asparagus spears and discard. Cut the spears crosswise on the diagonal into 1/4-inch pieces. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and cayenne into a small bowl. In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk and butter and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter has melted and the milk has come to a boil, add the flour all at once. Using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, abut 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer to a bowl and let cool 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper or spray with vegetable cooking spray.

Add the asparagus, green onions, Parmesan and Gruyere to the cooled dough and stir to mix well. Using a teaspoon, scoop up rounded spoonfuls of the dough and place on the baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake until golden brown, 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and pierce with a knife. Cool on racks. (This can be done 24 hours in advance. Place in tins with wax paper between the layers and refrigerate.)

To crisp the puffs before serving, place on a baking sheet. Reheat in a preheated 300F oven 5 minutes.