Happy new year everyone!! The best is yet to come..!!!
With that in mind, I have to say that David Lebovitz is one of the best food bloggers… he’s ne of the “originals”…. the real thing…. he is why all of us got inspired to start sharing… and he knows how to share… I love his explanations and the way he tells us the truth about cooking…
Please forgive the poor lighting… as I’ve said a million times… Taking pictures of food in low lighting is such a no-no… but when it’s special… when it’s going fresh and warm out of the oven.. and when you know there won’t be anymore left the next day… the time is NOW….!!
These gougeres couldn’t be more simple…. and what IS a gougere…??? It’s basically a savoury choux pastry… fluffy and hollow… they can be eaten as they are or filled with anything you like….these have the cheese in the pastry and are also topped with more cheese…. one thing I will always say when making any kind of pastry… always use the best quality ingredients… good butter, good flour, good cheese, good eggs (free range)… it makes a world of difference …
I had a little gruyere left over so I just sprinkled some over the hot gougeres when they came out f the oven and they melted over the tops… extra cheesy fun!!!
Here’s David’s recipe… exactly as it is in his blog…follow it to the T and you cannot go wrong!
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- 3 tablespoons (40g) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- big pinch of chile powder, or a few turns of freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (70g) flour
- 2 large eggs
- 12 chives, finely-minced (or 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme)
- 3/4 cup (about 3 ounces, 90g) grated Gruyere cheese
- Preheat the oven to 425F (220C.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Heat the water, butter, salt, and chile or pepper in a saucepan until the butter is melted.
- Dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides into a smooth ball. Remove from heat and let rest two minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure the eggs don’t ‘cook.’ The batter will first appear lumpy, but after a minute or so, it will smooth out. (You can transfer the mixture to a bowl before adding to eggs to cool the dough, or do this step in a food processor or electric mixer, if you wish.)
- Add about 3/4s of the grated cheese and the chives, and stir until well-mixed.
- Scrape the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a wide plain tip and pipe the dough into mounds, evenly-spaced apart, making each about the size of a small cherry tomato.
- Top each puff with a bit of the remaining cheese, the pop the baking sheet in the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375F (190C) and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re completely golden brown.
- For extra-crispy puffs, five minutes before they’re done, poke the side of each puff with a sharp knife to release the steam, and return to the oven to finish baking.
- Serving: The puffs are best served warm, and if making them in advance, you can simply pipe the gougères on baking sheets and cook right before your guests arrive, or reheat the baked cheese puffs in a low oven for 5-10 minutes before serving. Some folks like to fill them, or split them and sandwich a slice or dry-aged ham in there, although I prefer them just as they are.
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