Gruyère Walnut Wafers Recipes

THYME AND GRUYERE SAVORY COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the egg wash, add the egg and 1 tablespoon water to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Add the cheese, flour, thyme, pepper and salt to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until the cheese is broken up and incorporated with the flour. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is smaller than a pea, about 10 to 15 pulses. Stream in the water, a tablespoon at a time, while pulsing. After two tablespoons, remove the lid and check your dough, it should look like wet sand and hold together when you press it together in your hand. If it doesn't hold together, place the lid back on and pulse in another tablespoon or two of water.
• Once the dough is the right consistency, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times, just until it comes together. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll dough out until 1/4-inch-thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies and place them 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps and lightly knead together. Continue the process of rolling out the dough and cutting cookies until all of the dough is used. Brush the cookies with the egg wash.
• Bake until the cookies are lightly golden and puffed, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

GRUYèRE WALNUT WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• On a baking sheet divide Gruyère into 8 small mounds and sprinkle walnuts and rosemary on top. Bake wafers in middle of oven until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Cool wafers on sheet 1 minute and with a spatula carefully transfer to a rack to cool completely.

GRUYERE AND WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Butter or grease two loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and pepper (if using); set aside.
• Stir the butter into the scalded milk; let cool to room temperature.
• Once the milk has cooled you can begin to make the dough by pouring the water into the bowl of your stand mixer.
• Whisk in yeast, wait a minute, then whisk again to be sure all the yeast is completely dissolved; whisk in the cooled milk and butter mixture.
• Stir in half the flour with a large rubber spatula, then stir in the remaining flour, in smaller batches, to ensure all the flour is moistened.
• Place the bowl on the stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, and beat on medium speed until the dough gets smoother, but not competely smooth, about 2 minutes; let rest 10 minutes.
• Add the cheese and nuts then beat, on medium speed, until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oil bowl to rise, turning to coat all sides with oil; drape oiled plastic wrap on top and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Turn dough out on a lightly floured work area, turn over, press to deflate, then set aside (in oiled bowl) to rise again, about 1 hour.
• Turn dough out onto floured board and divide in half, taking care not to delate dough too much; shape each half into an 8 to 9 inch square.
• Roll dough tightly, jelly roll fashion, pinching the edge in when you get to the end; place loaf in pan, seam side down, pressing it into place so that the surface is fairly even.
• Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise another hour; once risen, the dough should protrude about 1 inch over the rim of the loaf pan.
• Set oven rack to the middle and heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Uncover loaves, and place in the center of the oven rack, short side toward each other, equal distance from each other and the sides of the oven.
• Bake until the bread is risen, and is deep golden and firm; the internal temperature should be more than 200 degrees F, about 45 minutes.
• Unmold each loaf and cool, on its side, on a rack (this prevents falling).
• You can brush the breads with melted butter if you like your crusts soft.
• Let cool completely before slicing with a sharp serrated knife.
• Store at room temperature, in a plastic bag, or freeze for longer storage.

CHEDDAR-WALNUT GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Put the butter, milk, salt and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once, set heat to medium-low and stir without stopping until the mixture pulls away from the pan easily and comes together in a ball. Keep stirring energetically for 3 minutes more; the drier the dough, the better the gougères. Scrape the dough into a mixer with a paddle attachment (or into a large bowl, if you're mixing by hand), and let sit for 1 minute.
• With the mixer at medium speed, add the 4 eggs one by one, and beat for 1 minute after each goes in, scraping the bowl as needed. As you're working, the dough may break into curds; just keep going - it's always fine once the egg white goes in.
• Beat in the egg white, then the mustard. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and blend in the cheese followed by the nuts. Give the dough a few good beats with a sturdy spatula.
• Working with a small cookie scoop or 2 spoons, scoop balls, each about 2 teaspoons, onto the sheets, leaving an inch between each. (Gougères are excellent baked from frozen. They can be frozen at this point; set them in an airtight container once frozen solid.)
• Working with one baking sheet of fresh gougères at a time, slide the gougères into the oven and turn the heat down to 375. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the gougères are puffed, golden and firm enough to pick up. (If baking frozen gougères, arrange them on a lined baking sheet, and leave at room temperature while you heat the oven. You may need to bake them a couple minutes more, so keep an eye on them.) Serve immediately. Baked gougères can also be reheated briefly in a 350-degree oven.

GRUYèRE AND BLACK PEPPER SCONES

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, black pepper and salt, and stir to combine. Add the butter to the bowl and toss to coat the cubes in the flour.
• Use your fingers to smash each cube of butter into a flat sheet, tossing to coat in flour and break up the butter a bit as you go. You will have some flat pea-size pieces of butter, and some will be worked into the flour completely. Add the cheese, walnuts and chives, and toss to combine.
• Make a well in the center of the butter and flour mixture, and add the buttermilk. Very gently stir until just combined and shaggy, but don't overmix. If the mixture seems very dry, add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk. If the mixture seems very wet, add a tablespoon or two of flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half, then shape it into an 8-inch circle. Cut the dough into 8 equal triangular wedges, and carefully transfer them to the baking sheet; they will be fragile. Brush the tops of the scones with the dregs of buttermilk left in the measuring cup (add a little more if necessary), then sprinkle the scones with flaky salt and more pepper.
• Bake the scones until golden brown, 19 to 23 minutes. These are best the day they are made, but will last a day or two on the counter in an airtight container. Alternatively, let them cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. In either instance, warm before serving.