Sunday, February 24, 2013

Gougères - Cheese Puffs




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These light and tender morsels are in danger of extinction. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help keep this recipe relevant and make sure that these silky, egg rich pastries remain on our tables for years to come. Please understand, I have nothing against salsa or chips and dips and pesto. I've been known to down a beer or two and confess that beer nuts are not safe in my presence. There are, however, times when I want something a bit more classic, something with culinary chops and a history that commends its presence on my table. The French gougères has much to recommend it. These savory cheese puffs are made with the same pate a choux dough that is used to prepare cream puffs and eclairs, but the addition of cheese or other savories make them a wonderful appetizer or hors d'oeuvres to serve with wine or champagne. They are very easy to make and I also  serve them with more pedestrian meals of soup or stew. I must warn you that they are additive and the puffs should come with a "once bitten" warning attached to them. I've just finished making a gazillion of these to share with friends tomorrow. I know they will love them and I suspect you will too. These are best served directly from the oven, but I understand that that is not always possible, so I have a few tips to share with you. The dough can be refrigerated for a day before it is formed and baked. Once baked, the puffs can be frozen until needed. Frozen puffs should be thawed and reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes before serving. If you plan to bake them ahead of time, make a slit in the bottom of each puff and turn them upside down to let moisture escape.  I make it a point to reheat the gougères before serving them. Five minutes in a 350 degree oven does the trick. While I prefer to use Gruyere cheese, cheddar or blue cheese can be substituted and, if you wish, a filling can be piped into the puffs. I bake my trays of gougère on the lowest rack of the oven and I only bake one tray at a time. It may be my imagination, but I think the puffs get better lift that way. I really hope you will give this recipe a try. I like to share my addictions with others. Here's how these simple cheese puffs are made.

Gougères - Cheese Puffs...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Elizabeth Gunnison and Saveur magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs, at room temperature
6 oz. (1-1/2 cups) Gruyère cheese, grated

Directions:
1)  Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Bring milk, butter, salt, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over high heat. Add flour, stirring until dough forms. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring dough constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly dried, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and using a hand mixer, beat in 1 egg until smooth. Repeat with remaining eggs, beating each one at a time, until dough is smooth. Stir in cheese.
2)  Using a large tablespoon, drop balls of dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Place in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.






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22 comments :

Ginny Hartzler said...

I've never seen any like these, they're gorgeous.

Angie's Recipes said...

These gougeres are so beautifully golden brown and puffed. Absolutely perfect.

Coleens Recipes said...

I posted a variation of this recipe in Feb of last year. At that time I had never heard of a gougeres, but they sounded great. Yours are beautiful, mine were a little more "rustic" lol. I think I'll try your recipe next. Thank you for sharing.

What's Baking?? said...

Beautifully puffed!

Merisi said...

Gorgeous Gougères, Mary! :-)

Unknown said...

Gorgeous gougères!
And tasty!
:-)

QembarDelites said...

I love the look of these golden cheese puffs, bet they taste just as good!

Chiara said...

gorgeous gougeres ! have a nice day, blessings...

June said...

Love these little morsels and haven't made them in eons. Once again, you've provided the inspiration!

Wendy said...

I love gougeres. Like cream puffs but better because they are cheesy. Plus everyone is so impressed when you make them because they don't realize how easy they are :) Yours look so perfectly sized and browned. Delicious.

Barbara F. said...

These are elegant and absolutely delicious. I have not made them since I was never sure about how much cheese to add. I do make puffs quite often, not only for dessert but to fill with crab salad or shrimp salad. I accept this mission, Mary! xo

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh, mouth wateringly good, (I think I made that up) but wow these look and sound soooo good!

Kim said...

I love love gougères! These are so good, so cheesy!

Arlene Delloro said...

Mary, we must be contemporaries because in the 70's, no dinner party was complete without some gougeres to serve with cocktails. I also love to serve them alongside soup. They look wonderful.

lindalou said...

Just copied and saved this recipe. They look wonderful and I love anything Gruyere. Here's to keeping these alive and delicious.

Marialuisa said...

These look awesome. You can fill anything inside!

decocinasytacones said...

Ya que el haber nacido en cierta fecha ya no es importante, a mi madre directamente le ponemos porque iremos solas supongo...madrugon que te pegas. Si vinen la próxima. ¡No se les pega nada?ññ(solo fantasía)

Joanne said...

I've always wanted to make gougeres...they really are the perfect bite!

Claudia said...

I adore these. If I make them for company and they are done too early, half of them are gone before company arrives. Sometimes - with the help of family - I have to make-believe I never made them.

Bam's Kitchen said...

Hello Mary, I am sorry it has been so long so I have stopped by. It is so good to see so many delicious treats here and I love Gougeres. You make it sound so easy so hope to try this one soon. Take Care, BAM

tender b. said...

What is the cause of said extinction? I mean by the look of things these puffs should be on everyones table...

http://platanosmangoes.com said...

Mary: Can I have a dozen or more. I am addicted to these..

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