makes 24 cheese puffs
Originally from Burgundy, gougères Are often served to accompany wine tastings in the region, but it's no wonder that there's such a beloved appetizer all over France too. They're cheesy, crisp and airy. It's simply impossible to stop at one. For me, making a batch of gougères is a must as a host.
When making them in France, Audrey Le Goff uses Gruyère cheese, but in Canada she often reaches for the aged cheddar, as a more affordable option. Speaking of cheese, here's her trick for successful gougères: instead of folding the grated cheese into the dough, she tops each dough ball with it, right before baking. This keeps the dough lighter, creating big holes inside, with a cheesy crackly exterior.
You can serve them on their own - they pair wonderfully with any wine or beer – or split them to fill with rolled-up charcuterie, or even more cheese!
1 cup (250 ml) water
⅓ cup (80 g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 ¼ cups (155 g) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
¾ cup (75 g) grated Gruyère cheese (or aged cheddar)
Preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt, nutmeg and ground pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and immediately add in the flour. Stir in vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms. Return the saucepan to low heat, and keep stirring until the dough dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat again, and let cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs thoroughly into a dough, one at a time. It is important each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. If the dough separates, keep beating it and it will come together again.
Using a cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons (about 15 g), drop the tablespoon-sized balls of dough on the baking sheets, keeping them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Sprinkle about ½ tablespoon (3 g) of grated Gruyère on top of each ball.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed and golden.
Make sure you have all the ingredients measured out in front of you before you start: making the stove top pâte à choux dough is fairly easy, but it's all about precise timing.
Rustic French Cooking Made Easy, by Audrey Le Goff