Gougères - French Appetizer

Being an extreme cheese lover (I could be Wallace of "Wallace & Gromit"), I came across this recipe that I will have to try.

A gougère, in French cuisine, is a savory choux pastry with cheese. Grated cheese may be mixed into the batter, cubes of cheese may be pushed into the top, or both. Gougères are sometimes called cheese puffs in English.

Inside a gougère

Gougères can be made as small, finger-sized pastries, or filled with ingredients such asmushrooms, beef, or ham. In the latter case, the gougère is usually made using a ring or pie tin. Traditionally, gougères are made with Gruyère, but other cheeses are sometimes used. Gougère is a specialty of the Burgundy region.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 8 tablespoons butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a rapid, rolling boil. Make sure all the butter is melted, and then add flour. Stir the mixture for 20-30 seconds, until a sticky dough ball forms and begins pulling away from the sides of the pan. Reduce heat to low-medium heat and cook, stirring, for 90 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes. 

Beat in eggs, one at a time, along with cheeses and seasonings. Place heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, for 25-30 minutes. The gougeres are done when they are a deep golden brown and puffed. Serve immediately.