Cheddar-Gruyere Gougeres

I hardly ever bake.  There is something about precise measurements that I don’t really like, because a big thing that I enjoy about cooking is the element of improvisation involved.  Don’t have any wine? (You’re crazy). Use chicken broth.  Don’t have any lemons? Maybe a lime would be good.  In baking, these substitutions aren’t as easy, so I generally stray away from it.

These gougeres are somewhat of an exception to my no baking tendencies, because I can guarantee that I will make them again.  And again.  And again.  These were SO good.  They are basically biscuits (but they are French, so they have a fancy name), with the addition of a healthy dose of cheese.  I was surprised at how easy they were to make, and was happy that they gave me an excuse to break out my beloved food processor.  I chose to use Cheddar-Gruyere cheese in these because I had it in my fridge, and instead of using paprika and cayenne pepper (as the original recipe called for), I used garlic powder and cracked black pepper.  I’m sure the cayenne/paprika would be delicious as well, and add a nice kick.  These are best served room temperature, but they are also delicious straight out of the oven.

Cheddar Gruyere Gougeres (adapted from this recipe)

Makes about 30 gougeres 

• 1 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• sprinkling of garlic powder
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Cheddar-Gruyere cheese
• coarse salt, to sprinkle on top of the biscuits

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, then begin making your dough (called choux paste).   Put the milk, butter, salt and garlic powder in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.

BUTTER

Remove from heat, and stir in the flour, mixing quickly until incorporated into the dough.  Return to medium heat for about a minute to dry out the dough slightly, then remove from heat and let cool.

DOUGHY

Transfer the dough to the food processor and pulse for 5 seconds.  Crack the 3 eggs into the processor, and grate the pepper into it as well.

love my food processor

Pulse for 15 seconds, until all the ingredients are incorporated.  Transfer the dough to a bowl, and stir in the cheese.  Using a spoon, make little balls (about 2 inches in diameter) of dough, and plop them on a baking sheet sprayed with oil.  Sprinkle a little dash of coarse salt on the top of each puff.

a rare sight on this blog - something getting ready to be baked!

Pop the sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the gougeres are browned on top and cooked through.  Eat right out of the oven, or enjoy at room temperature!

success!

About these ads