Gougères - Good Taste is the Worst Vice

There’s a certain ‘wow factor’ to gougères. When they’re just out of the oven, they’re wonderfully airy and cheesy. Fortunately, they are also a bit hardier than their cousin, the soufflé, since they maintain their puffed exterior and tender interior even when cooled.

I made these for Thanksgiving with D’s family last year, and his grandmother seemed to particularly enjoy them. This weekend, I decided to make a special batch for her.

Gougères are relatively quick to whip up, with just a few ingredients. The key is the cheese, a combination of Gruyere and Parmesan, lots of eggs and butter, and a hint of freshly grated nutmeg. If desired, you could also add some chopped herbs – chives might be nice – though I prefer the simplicity of the cheese-only version.

After melting the butter in some water, and stirring in the flour until just cooked, it’s time to beat in the eggs. This is an excellent arm workout, since each egg needs to be mixed in vigorously. When first added, the egg seems to destroy the smoothness of the dough – it looks as if it will never come back together. But after more stirring, the dough finally returns to its thick and velvety texture.

Since I don’t have a pastry bag, I make do with a freezer bag – it’s a very serviceable substitute (plus, much easier to clean up!). After filling the bag with the dough, simply snip off one corner and use that to pipe out the gougères. My technique probably isn’t the best, but in the end I managed to produce fairly evenly sized dollops of dough.

Then it was into the oven to bake – I peered in every few minutes to check on the progress. After ten minutes or so, the gougères started to puff up, and after twenty minutes they were turning faintly golden.

When just out of the oven, the gougères are like mini, cheesy popovers; after cooling and resting overnight, they become more soft than crisp. I still find them wonderfully tasty.

Gougères

1 cup water

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 eggs

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Add flour and stir in with a wooden spoon, until fully incorporated. Return to medium heat, and cook – stirring constantly – for 3 minutes.

Transfer flour mixture into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the cheeses. Allow to cool slightly for a couple of minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously. Wait until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next; the mixture will look broken at first, but with enough stirring, it will come back to a smooth texture.

When the eggs are incorporated, stir in nutmeg.

Transfer mixture into a pastry bag or freezer bag, with 1/2 inch tip (for the freezer bag, simply snip off one corner). Pipe 1 1/2 inch mounds onto the baking sheets, with 1/2 inch separation, and pat down the pointy tips with a wet fingertip.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating partway through to ensure even browning. The gougères are ready when they are puffed and golden brown.

Remove to a wire rack to cool. These are best served warm, but will last fairly well for a day or two in a loosely covered container.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

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