french gougeres

Are you wondering what gougeres are?  They are cheesy pate a choux doughs.  Pate a choux is a french pastry dough that is super easy to make.  How easy you ask?  Well, I made a video blog about it!  Take a look!

To make gougeres, just add cheese to the mixture prior to baking.  The insides won't be hollow as the cream puffs in the video because the cheese acts as an adhesive to create a matrix within the dough.  So it'll look like the photo you see below.  They have pockets of air and taste magnificently cheesy with a crisp shell on the outside.   

For this recipe, I used a combination of gouda and parmesean cheeses which created this wonderful flavor reminiscent of a cheez-it cracker.   Try it out!

French Gougeres

Recipe slightly modified from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Ingredients for a dozen large pastries

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan and Gouda cheeses plus a tablespoon or so extra, for sprinkling

Directions

1) In a heavy-bottomed, 1 1/2 quart saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil with the butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer until the butter is melted.  Measure out the flour.  Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from heat and add in the flour all at once.  Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend thoroughly.  Then return the pan to medium-high heat and continue beating for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a film on the bottom of the pan.  Remove from heat and make a well in the center of the mixture.  

2) Immediately crack an egg into the well and beat vigorously until it is completely combined.  Repeat with each of the rest of the eggs, and skip all triceps workouts for the next several days, making sure everything is well blended.  Stir in the grated cheese until completely incorporated.

3) Preheat oven to 425°.

4) Spoon big golf ball sized globs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, about 2 inches apart.  Shape the balls and flatten down any peaks with a moist hand (from water).  Sprinkle with extra grated cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until puffed and slightly browned and firm and crusty to the touch.  Remove from oven and poke each puff with a toothpick to release steam, then set in the turned-off oven with the door ajar for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack.