Gougères – Little Big H
I often serve these delicious little French cheese pastries as an appetiser at dinner parties – everyone loves them, they are really really good!
I have always found they work out best by mixing by hand but you could give a stick blender a go. It does take a little effort to get the eggs combined but it will be worth it….. Enjoy xx
- 250 ml water
- 150 g butter , cut into cubes
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 200 g plain flour
- 5 eggs; at room temperature
- 120 g gruyere cheese , diced into 1/2cm (1/4 in) cubes
- Extra egg , beaten, for egg wash
- Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees (400 degrees F)
- In a large saucepan put water, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to the boil while stirring constantly – very important or it will split
- Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the flour. Combine and keep stirring for one minute until well combined and a dough forms
- Immediately incorporate one egg at a time into the dough – I use a whisk. Tap the whisk on the sides of saucepan to loosen the mixture if it gets stuck in the whisk – its hard work but worth it. Once all the eggs are combined, stir through the cheese
- Using a tablespoon, spoon onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. With a pasty brush, egg wash just the tops – not letting it run down the sides
- Bake for 25 minutes; serve
Makes about 16 large gougeresThe recipe insists on using greyere cheese but I have used all sorts (manchego, gouda, etc.). Not very authentic I know, but they still taste greatYou can also freeze raw gougers. Put them straight into the oven frozen and allow an extra few minutes cooking time
Adapted from Jacques Reymond – Cuisine du Temps
