wordy wednesday...gougères {march 9, 2022}

Gougères...French cheese puffs.

They're a favorite appetizer to take to a gathering or to serve at a the house, regardless if it's the two of us or a bunch of us. They're easy to make, fun to eat, and carry a little wow factor.

Gougères are made with cream puff dough, pâte à choux, a dough that can be mixed with cheese (or served with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce sauce. Profiteroles are made with pâte à choux). I use whatever cheese is on hand.The traditional cheese for these puffs is Gruyère or Comté, but I've used Parmesan or whatever grateable cheese is in the fridge.

Gougères

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

Large pinch of coarse salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

3 1/2 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (1 cup)

Freshly ground pepper

How to Make It

Step 1    

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a gentle boil. Add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; stir over low heat until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.

Step 2    

Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.

Step 3    

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat in a 350° oven until piping hot.

Notes

When making the choux pastry, it is important to be sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Don't worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first. Keep beating, and it will come together nicely.

I don't have a pastry bag. Spoon the dough into a plastic bag, snip a corner, and squeeze the dough out.

Gougères freeze well. It might be fun to make extra with your club, so you can all take some home. After baking, allow them to cool completely. When you return home, spread the gougères out on a baking sheet, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and freeze them until they are firm. Then store them in sturdy plastic bags for several months.