Gruyere Gougeres Recipes

FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan). Lightly grease 2 trays then line with parchment / baking paper.
• Place water, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil until butter is full melted.
• Remove from stove, add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated.
• Return to stove on LOW heat and mix for 1 minute (this dries the mixture out, see video for before/after).
• Remove from stove, leave for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 egg, mix vigorously until incorporated - batter splits at first, but it always comes together!
• Add 3 more eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Good arm workout! (Or use electric beater)
• Stir in 2 cups cheese.
• Drop 1 tablespoon mounds onto trays (small cookie scoop is ideal, otherwise use a measuring tablespoon and a teaspoon to scrape out. Can make larger - good for dunking!)
• Brush with yolk, then top with a pinch of reserved Cheese for topping.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes so they become crusty and inside dries out a bit.
• Serve warm as pre dinner nibbles, finger food at gatherings, or dunk into soups and stews!

GOUGèRES (FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS)

Steps:

• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Bring the milk, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium and, using a wooden spoon, immediately start stirring energetically. The dough will form into a ball and there will be a light film on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for another two minutes or so to dry the dough: Dry dough will make puffier puffs.
• Turn the dough out into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and elbow grease). Let the dough sit for a minute to cool, then add the eggs one by one, followed by the white, beating on medium speed until each one is incorporated before adding the next. The dough may look as though it's separating or falling apart -- just keep going, and by the time the egg white goes in, the dough will be smooth. Beat in the mustard, followed by the cheese. Give the dough a last mix-through by hand.
• Scoop or spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough (I use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop), and drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds. (The scooped dough can be frozen on the baking sheets.)
• Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are puffed, golden, and firm enough to pick up, another 15 to 17 minutes. Serve immediately -- these are best directly from the oven. Storing: Although the puffs are best served hot out of the oven, they are still nice (although flatter) at room temperature that same day. If you want to keep baked puffs longer, freeze them and then reheat in a 350°F-oven for a few minutes.
• Make-Ahead/Freezer Instructions: Scoop the dough and freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then pack them in an airtight container. You can bake them straight from the freezer; just give them a few more minutes in the oven.
• Note/Variation: Dorie adds ⅔ cup walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and chopped, to these gougères. My family prefers them without nuts but it's a nice variation to try. Add them along with the cheese.

GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1/2 cup water, the butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and mixture boils. Remove from heat, and stir in flour with a wooden spoon. Return pan to medium heat, and cook, stirring, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a film on bottom, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer batter to a bowl, and beat with a mixer on low speed until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes. Raise speed to medium, and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat 1 minute more. Batter should be shiny and form a string when pulled up with a finger; if string doesn't form, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it does. Stir in Parmesan.
• Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe about 30 mounds (1 inch in diameter) 1 inch apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush with egg yolk, and sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon Gruyere.
• Bake until gougeres are puffed and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GRUYERE GOUGERES

Steps:

• Place water, butter, salt and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Add all the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough is formed (about two minutes). Transfer dough into mixer with paddle attachment and mix on medium to slightly cool the mixture. Add the eggs one at a time making sure to incorporating each fully (the batter should be silky smooth). Add the cheese and white pepper to taste.
• Pipe quarter size puffs on parchment paper and bake in oven 450 for 7-8 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes until the gougeres are puffed and golden brown. Sobel likes topping his with a sliver of cured ham and a fried quail egg. You don't need to be that fancy though, because these taste darn good on their own.

CLASSIC GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water, butter, salt and cayenne to a boil. Stir in flour all at once and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until dough pulls away from the sides of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scrape dough into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with a paddle until cooled slightly, about 30 seconds. (Or you can do this with a wooden spoon if you beat vigorously.) Add one egg at a time, letting each one incorporate before adding the next. Mix in Gruyère and continue to beat until it is mostly melted into batter.
• Transfer batter to a large, sealable plastic bag, and snip off 3/4 inch from one corner. Pipe 2-teaspoon-sized balls, spaced 1-inch apart, onto baking sheets. Or use a spoon to form the balls. Sprinkle Parmesan on top, and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until golden and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly then serve immediately.

GRUYERE GOUGERES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine water, butter, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add flour. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Return pan to heat and stir to let excess moisture evaporate, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let cool slightly.
• Add 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, cayenne, and black pepper to the dough. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. If mixture still clings to the beaters, add a fourth egg.
• Pipe or spoon tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto a the prepared baking sheet. Add a small pinch of remaining Gruyere cheese on top of each puff.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes more.