GRUYÈRE GOUGÈRES
Hello!
In my last post I shared with you a girl’s night out with a really great personal chef. You can read all about it here. That night, Chef Julian Huntley Hagood cooked a really spectacular meal for me and a group of girlfriends .
The extensive menu included the following delicious items, the recipes for which I will be sharing with you in the next few blog posts.
Gruyère Gougères
Market Ceviche on Corn Chips with Avocado & Red Onion
Scallop Bound Dungeness Crab Cakes with Saffron Aioli
Pizza Bianca
Fresh Semolina Tagliatelle with Minute Marinara
Vadouvan Pork Tenderloin
Parsnip Puree
Apple Herb Salad
Fennel, Corn & Shallot Relish
Valrhona Chocolate Coulants with Caramel Gelato and Roasted Hazelnuts
So today I’m going to start by showing you how to make GRUYÈRE GOUGÈRES, otherwise known as Cheese Puffs. Chef Julian served them as one of 4 appetizers that night!
GRUYÈRE GOUGÈRES are small, savory French pastries that are made with a Choux pastry dough that is mixed with cheese. A Choux pastry dough is a light dough used to make profiteroles or éclairs. This type of dough is usually baked; however, a similar dough is used to make beignets and churros which are fried.
In many cases the cheese used is in Gougères is Gruyère, a hard yellow cheese, named after the town of Gruyères, Switzerland. French Gruyère style cheeses include Comté and Beaufort. I buy this delicious Comté at Costco.
I love these delectable, soft and pillowy treats and have made Gougères often. In fact, I made them recently for a dinner party and served them as an appetizer. Thinking that I’d eventually share the recipe with you, I took photos of the process. That’s good because I only got photos of the end result when Chef Julian made them.
The Choux pastry dough used to make Gougères is made simply with milk, water, salt, butter, flour and eggs. In fact, there is no leavening agent used in the making of Gougères. Instead, the moisture in the dough when heated turns into steam, which consequently puffs up the pastry. So, let me show you how to make these delicious savory pastries.
First, preheat your oven to 400° F. Then, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Into a medium saucepan add:
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Stick (4 oz.) Butter, cut into small cubes
Bring the contents of the pan to a boil.
Add 1 cup all purpose flour to the liquid and stir it with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms. Continue stirring over low heat until the dough dries out slightly and begins to pull away from the pan, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the dough into the bowl of a standing mixer and let it cool for about 1 minute. Then add 4 eggs 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Next add: 1 Cup of finely grated Gruyère cheese, a pinch of freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg and mix to combine.
When I made my Gougères I used a scoop to transfer the dough onto the baking sheet.
Chef Julian suggests transferring the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and piping tablespoon size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. That night he used a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Really, any of the 3 methods mentioned is fine.
The final step is to lightly sprinkle them with finishing salt. Chef Julian used William-Sonoma Australian Pink Finishing Salt for his Gruyère Gougères.
Bake them for about 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve them piping hot and steamy right out of the oven.
These featherlight puffs of tender wonderfulness will defy your ability to stop eating them. Watch out, they are addicting!
Here is the printable recipe below.
- ½ Cup Milk
- ½ Cup Water
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Stick (4 oz.) Butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 Cup Finely Grated Gruyère Cheese,
- Pinch Freshly Ground Pepper
- Pinch Nutmeg
- Finishing Salt
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Into a medium saucepan add the milk, water, salt and butter and bring to a boil.
- Add flour to the liquid and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.
- Continue stirring over low heat until dough dries out slightly and begins to pull away from the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer dough into the bowl of a standing mixer and let it cool for about 1 minute.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
- Add Gruyère cheese, pepper and nutmeg and mix to combine.
- Transfer dough into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip.
- Pipe tablespoon size mounds onto lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
- Lightly sprinkle with finishing salt.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
- Serve piping hot and steamy right out of the oven.
So there you have it: GRUYÈRE GOUGÈRES
I think they would make a delicious addition to your holiday menu!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. All photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
