A recipe for Gruyère Gougères appetizers, tiny crisp pastry pillows made with choux dough bursting with intense Gruyère flavor.
I would like to be the type of person that throws parties. Big, raucous celebrations with champagne flutes and confetti, music playing in that just-loud-enough way where you can dance to it but still talk to your neighbor without screaming until you’re hoarse. The lights would twinkle in the background in a magical way, guests unable to find the source of their wonderment. It would be the type of affair everyone leaves with a bright light in their belly and a grin on their face, unable to think of a way it could have gone better.
There would be food aplenty at such a scene, for certain. Gougères, their crisp outer shell giving way to airy, chewy insides, crostini and salads, hot chocolate served alongside dessert. Dessert would be a multi-course affair, with guests unable to decide between all the sugar-laced treats laid out before them. The entire evening would whisper with enchantment.
Of course, we’d need something to be celebrating, and who better to celebrate with such idyllic gathering than an enchantress in the kitchen and in life? Bev of BevCooks is decidedly worthy of such a soirée as she has made carrying twins appear effortless.
Sugar and sass and a bit of silliness would be how I would describe this lovely lady, and I so look forward to seeing those sweet babies once they make their appearance. If they’re anything like their mama, it will be quite the appearance. Bev is continuously cooking enviable eats in the kitchen, always with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor or just outright absurdity. She makes everything look good, including the third trimester with twins. Congratulations, Bev!
Today we’re throwing a virtual baby shower, complete with sparkling champagne flutes and multiple courses of festive food. To the party I’m bringing gougères, French cheese puffs made from choux pastry dough with crisp outer shells and soft, chewy insides. They can be filled with cheeses or creams, sliced open and treated like sandwiches, or enjoyed just as they are. Best served warm, bake them just before serving, or bake ahead and reheat for 5 minutes in a 300º F oven.
Gruyère Gougères
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Tiny crisp pastry pillows made with choux dough bursting with intense Gruyère flavor
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
2 ounces grated Parmesan (1/2 cup)
6 ounces grated Gruyère (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg yolk
sea salt, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400º F.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of water, the milk, butter, kosher salt, and cayenne. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Immediately add the flour. Stir quickly into the mixture with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the pan and forms a ball, cooking for an additional minute while stirring.
Remove the dough from the heat and place in a food processor, pulsing twice, and then allowing to cool at least five minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, pulsing after each addition until incorporated. Add in the cheese, reserving two tablespoons, and pepper and mix just until combined.
Place the dough in a pastry bag and pipe into 1-tablespoon rounds on a parchment- or baking-mat-lined baking sheet, 2" apart. Alternatively, scoop balls using a small scoop or two spoons onto the lined baking sheet.
Beat the egg yolk with one teaspoon of water. Brush lightly over the top of the rounds with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and a bit of sea salt, if desired.
Bake for 25 minutes, until rounds are golden brown and dry in the center. They should sound hollow when tapped.
Serve warm. These can be reheated for a few minutes in the oven just before serving.
The secret to gougères' puff is the addition of eggs, but here's the thing — too many eggs and the dough will be too wet to properly puff. Whats more, the number of eggs your dough will need varies depending on the flour you use, how long you cooked the paste, and the weather (seriously!
I've tried everything from parmesan, goat cheese, mozzarella, swiss and brie. However, the combination of gruyere and cheddar cheese creates a perfectly gooey, melty, drool-worthy, melted cheese combo that just can't be beat. Trust me – you've got to add these two kinds of cheese to your next shopping list!
You could grate it to serve with pasta or salads, as it is not too overpowering. If you are serving it as part of a cheeseboard, try to include fruits such as pears, apples, and grapes. The sweetness of these fruits is excellent against the nuttiness of the cheese. Cut it into thin slices that your guests can enjoy.
Opening the oven door prematurely lets heat escape and makes them prone to collapsing. 4) Cook gougères thoroughly! Look for a golden brown color. If they are pale and not baked all the way through, they will collapse as they cool.
If too much egg is added or if it is added too quickly, the Choux's ability to rise when baked will be affected. Similarly, if not enough egg is incorporated, it won't puff, causing it to be dense inside.
I cut the 6-month Le Gruyère AOP into triangle wedges and paired them with pears and fig jam. The pear notes married perfectly with the fruity element of the cheese, while the fig jam added a nice sweetness to bolster the creaminess. Next on the cheese plate is the Le Gruyère AOP aged for 12 months.
There are plenty of other premier cheeses that can serve as good substitutes for Gruyère cheese. Depending on whether you're melting cheese or adding more variety to your charcuterie board, you might consider Beaufort, Comté, Jarlsberg, Emmental, or Fontina.
A crowd-pleasing addition to any cheese tray or charcuterie platter. Starts with a Cheddar mouthfeel and then the Gruyere gives you a sweet nutty flavor. Unlike a lot of Cheddars, the Gruyere also improves the meltability which makes it great for cooking. Try it on a panini or flatbread.
The texture is smooth and firm with small holes or "eyes" throughout. Gruyère is considered an expensive cheese due to a few reasons: Firstly, it's made from raw milk, which is more expensive to produce than pasteurized milk. Secondly, it's aged for a minimum of 5 months, which is longer than most other cheeses.
The types of cheese, such as gruyere and gouda, that fall between the hard and soft categories, can be kept in a fridge for two to three weeks after they have been opened. In the freezer, this type of cheese can last for two months if the packet is still intact.
But I do find that I enjoy the rinds of most washed rind cheeses. Examples of washed rind cheeses include soft cheeses such as taleggio, Winnimere, Epoisses and hard rind cheeses including Gruyère.
What Gougeres taste like. They're crusty on the outside, soft and hollow on the inside, and they're very, very cheesy. Essentially, they are the savoury cheesy version of everybody's favourite Profiteroles!
The biggest culprits: Not incorporating the eggs enough, or dough that's too wet or too dry, or dough that was too cool when you added the eggs, or too hot when you piped it. That might sound intimidating, but there are easy markers to know you're on the right track.
To understand why choux is twice-cooked, it's important to know that choux needs lots of moisture: it's the steam generated by its high water content that causes it to swell and puff so much (there's no baking soda, baking powder, yeast, beaten egg whites, or any other leavening agent to help give it extra lift).
In the oven, the water in the layers of dough (and some water in the butter) turns into steam. This steam has just enough force to puff up each thin sheet of dough before evaporating into the oven. What's left behind is a delicate shell of airy pastry.
For a flatter pastry without much puff—like a Napoleon—prick the dough all over with a fork, place parchment paper on top, then place 1-2 cookie sheets on top of that to weigh it down. If you're making a tart or filled Puff Pastry, place it on the baking sheet before adding toppings or fillings.
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