i have made this recipe a minimum of 100 times since it first appeared in saveur. if you follow it precisely you will have the most delectable gougeres ever. i serve at times with pieces of crisp bacon and pickled onions.
Gougères
MAKES 3 DOZEN
These irresistible French "cheese puffs" are the perfect hors d' oeuvre.
8 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup flour
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups grated comté or gruyère cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine butter, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; when butter has melted, remove pan from heat. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a thick dough and pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1–2 minutes. Return pan to heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
2. Let dough cool to room temperature, then beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated into mixture and dough is smooth after each addition. Dough should be thick, shiny, and smooth. Add 1 cup of the cheese and beat in until well combined.
3. Spoon tablespoon-size mounds of dough on nonstick baking sheets, leaving about 1'' between each. Brush tops with remaining 1/4 cup milk, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Working in batches, bake in lower third of oven until doubled in size and golden, 20–25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ratings & Reviews (5)
Friday night at our house is 'junk food' night. Since this recipe graced our doorstep back in the fall of 1998, this has been our 'junk food' of choice (we use the Gruyere.) Hot from the oven with a fabulous Cabernet or cold the next morning with coffee, we can't imagine life without them. Even when I use too much cheese (is there ever too much cheese?) and they flatten out because of the added fat, they're still fabulous.
This recipe is absolutely fabulous for an elegant dinner party paired with wine or just for no reason at all. If you follow the recipe precisely, you will have perfection. Bon Appetit!
Amuse bouches at a dinner party. Guests will love you.
These were quite good - I definitely overestimated the portioning as I forgot they double in size in the oven. Next time I would use a teaspoon measurement rather than a tablespoon. I used gruyere and under-estimated how much salt to add to the dough - use more than you think you need. As a quick fix I did a quick egg-wash on top once baked, sprinkled on some fleur de sel, and popped back in the oven for a minute or two. Not a bad result!
Gougères
5
5
3
5
