snacks

Gougères (French Cheese Puffs)

Name: Gougères (French Cheese Puffs)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 cup water; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1-1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Gougères are choux pastry with cheese, and the cheese is not an addition. It is structural. Finely grated Gruyère or Comté is folded into the choux dough after the eggs are incorporated, distributed evenly through the paste. The cheese adds fat and flavor and slightly changes the baking behavior of the puff: the fat from the cheese tenderizes the shell, and the cheese itself browns and develops flavor during baking. The same rules that govern plain choux apply here. The dough must be piped into rounds of consistent size so they bake evenly. The oven must not be opened in the first fifteen minutes. The gougères are done when the exterior is deeply golden and rigid, not when they look golden. Underbaked gougères collapse when removed from the oven because the shell has not set enough to support the puff. The egg in the choux creates steam for the rise and protein for the structure. Serve warm, within twenty minutes of baking, before the steam inside condondenses and the interior softens.

Prep: 15 min Cook: 25 min Total: 40 min Serves: 30

Ingredients

4 large eggs
1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute.
Transfer to a stand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The dough will look broken then come together. After all eggs, it should be smooth and glossy.
Beat in 1 cup of the Gruyère, Dijon, pepper, and cayenne.
Pipe or scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Top each with a pinch of the remaining Gruyère.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until puffed, golden, and firm to the touch. Serve warm — they are at their absolute best within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven.

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