GOUGÈRES

The final product:  GOUGÈRES (pronounced "Goo-jher" and also known as Cheese puffs)

They can be made bite size by being piped out a circles the size of a nickel or made 

larger by piping them out the size of a 50 cent piece.

 Traditionally Gruyère, Compte or Emmentaler cheese is used for 

GOUGÈRES but I make mine with Dubliner Irish Cheddar.  

You can also use your favorite sharp aged cheddar cheese.

It is such an easy recipe to remember:  1 cup of flour, 1 cup of 

water, 1 stick of butter and 1/4 of a teaspoon salt.  Then four eggs.

At this point before you add the cheese the batter is technically what you 

would use for cream puffs or eclairs (PÂTE À CHOUX).

 Turn off the heat and add the flour

 Stir until the flour mixture pulls away from the sides and 

forms a ball

 Stirring vigorously with the heat OFF, add the eggs one at a time.

It is very important to incorporate each egg until the batter is stiff

and a ball again BEFORE you add the next egg.  It is a major arm workout.

 When all four eggs have been then add the cup and a half of cheese

Use additional cheese to top each Gougères.  You can use a fine

grater or a thick grater to grate the cheese, it doesn't matter.

Gougères are the ideal hors d’oeuvres to eat with Champagne.  A hint of cheese and very light.  You basically just take a normal PÂTE À CHOUX recipe and then add cheese and whatever other seasonings you like (chives, cayenne, etc.)  You can make a double recipe and use the recipe without cheese to make éclairs and cream puffs.

PÂTE À CHOUX is an easy recipe to remember because you just remember one, one and one and then a pinch of salt plus four eggs.  Then cheese.  Traditionally, they are made with Gruyère cheese but I'm a giant fan of the aged Dubliner Irish Cheddar or an extra sharp cheddar cheese.  (A New York White Cheddar would work as well.  You can use your favorite cheese from Parmesan to Manchego.  Have fun experimenting. 

Another note to remember is that this is a major workout for your arms.  You must beat each egg in one at at time until the dough is still again.  You may feel like your arm is going to fall off.  

The other great thing about this recipe is that the Gougères can be made in advance and frozen.  Then pop them in an oven quickly to reheat them just before service.

GOUGÈRES

Preheat oven to 425

1 cup water

1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup of flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

4 eggs, BUT YOU MUST ADD THEM ONE AT A TIME

1 1/2 cups grated Dubliner Irish Cheddar or your favorite cheese,  plus more for the tops of each puff

chives, cayenne pepper, mustard are optional seasonings.  I generally keep them simple and just make them with cheese

Place water and stick of butter in a saucepan.  Cook until butter just melts.  Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and then add 1 cup of flour.  Turn OFF THE HEAT and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side of the pan.

Let cool for about a minute before adding the eggs (otherwise the eggs might “cook and scramble” if the dough is still too hot.)  Add it eggs one at a time until fully incorporated and dough is stiff again.  I do this with a wooden spoon and get quite an arm workout.  Be sure that the dough is completely stiff again before you add the next egg, otherwise they won't rise properly.  Others prefer to use a beater for this step.  Beat well after each egg addition.  (if using for Cream Puffs and Eclairs then the recipe is complete.  Place the dough in a ziplock bag and pipe it into cream puff and éclair shapes.)

If making Gougères then add the cheese to the batter and then put it in a ziplock bag or pastry bag. 

Pipe on to parchment lined baking sheets.  Add a little more grated cheese to the top of each puff.

Bake in a 425 oven for about 25 minutes until browned.  (some people bake them at 425 for 10 minutes and then turn them down to 375  and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.)  But I have giant gas ovens and you can’t regulate the temperature very easily so I just keep the oven at 425 the whole time and keep an eye on them.  If you have electric or convection ovens you may have slightly more control.  Do whatever works best for your oven.  The total baking time usually works out to about 35 to 40 minutes.  Bite into one if you aren't sure, but they will deflate if they are not baked all the way.  Also, try not to open the oven very often while they are baking because that could also cause them to deflate.  (I'm making them sound harder than they are.  They are honestly quite easy to make.)