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

Tiny choux pastry balls loaded with Gruyère, baked until puffed and golden and served warm from the oven. They are essentially cheese-flavored air — crisp on the outside, hollow and eggy on the inside. The perfect thing to make when people are coming over and you want them to think you went to culinary school.

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.