I’ve mentioned gougère in a previous post (if anyone can tell me which one, I’d be well impressed) as the classy French version of your average cheese puff. After my failed attempt at cheese beignets which came out more like glorified, flat cheese pancakes (thank you Borough Market for posting some rubbish recipes), I decided to revert back to a tried and true classic that I learned at a cooking class when I was a teenager. Yes, I used to go to cooking classes at my local supermarket — very classy!
Gougère are super easy to make but because they require a choux pastry and because they’re well, French, people will think you’re a lot more crafty in the kitchen than you really are. Plus these fluffy, yet hollow, crispy parcels of cheesy goodness are so delicious they will be gobbled up quite quickly. Perfect for serving at a dinner party or just as a snack.
Ingredients
Pâté a Choux
- 1 cup milk
- 4 ounces (8 tbsp) butter
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup or 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup Gruyere, cheddar or parmesan grated (Would recommend gruyere)
- Dill, minced finely (optional)
- Cayenne pepper (optional) to taste
- Salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
Glaze
- 2 eggs, well beaten
Hold choux paste by covering with plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming.
Fit a pastry bag with a fluted or round tip and fill with the prepared mixture. Pipe the mixture into small circles, crescent shapes or round shapes on a sheet of parchment paper.
Brush the top of the pâté a choux shapes with the beaten egg to enhance the browning in the oven.
Bake at 400F (200C) until the pâté a choux is puffed, brown and light in your hand. This will be approximately 12-15 minutes but will vary depending on your oven. The inside should be hollow and somewhat dry.
Gorge.
