KimberlyCaristi
About the Recipe
Gougères are the perfect appetizer. It might be daunting to make if it is your first time to make a choux or cream puff pastry but after you make them you will say why haven't I been impressing my family and friends with these before.
Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated cheese, such as Gruyère or another Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces, to be honest any cheese you can grate would be good.) Save a little of the cheese to sprinkle on top or if you are like me grate a little more cheese to sprinkle on top.
Preparation
Heat oven to 400°F. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour; reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Cool, slightly or you will get scrambled eggs when you add the eggs. Beat the eggs, then add all at once. Beat with an electric beater for about a minute then add cheese and nutmeg and continue beating until smooth.
Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each gougère, drop the dough from a spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of puff space between the mounds. Wet your finger with water to pat down the little spikes of the dough. They don't have to be smooth. Sprinkle with extra cheese. Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately. If you have an oven that heats unevenly you can rotate after 14 minutes. Don't open the oven before then or your gougère will deflate. Total time for the bake is 24 to 30 minutes. Bake until the gougères are golden, firm, and, yes, puffed. Serve warm, or transfer the pans to racks to cool.
I serve with jams (I love cheese and jams together), mustards and just plain. Enjoy.