Years ago, I found this recipe for gougéres on the Epicurious website, and I have made a couple of minor modifications to get the best (and simple) pastry possible.
If you have the skills to make chocolate chip cookies, you can certainly follow this recipe, and they turn out wonderfully, every time!
Skill level:
Yields 42 to 48 pastries.Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole milk (2% also works well, just do not use skim, or fat free)
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons (one cube) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated cheese, such as Gruyère or sharp cheddar (about 6 ounces)
Instructions:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a rapid boil, in a medium saucepan, over high heat. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low, and immediately start stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough will come together and a light crust will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring hard for another minute or two to dry the dough (the closer you can get to two minutes, the better). The dough will end up be very smooth, with a consistency of oily mashed potatoes.
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| Heating the milk and butter. |
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| Stir vigorously until stiff, shiny, and smooth dough forms. |
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| Adding flour to the hot liquid, all at once. |
Transfer the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let the dough sit for three to five minutes, to cool slightly. As the eggs will be added next, this reduces the risk of cooking the eggs on the hot dough, when mixing.
Add the eggs one at a time, making sure that each egg is completely incorporated before you add the next. Don't be concerned if the dough separates; by the time the last egg is added, the dough will recombine.
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| Adding the first egg. |
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| Combining eggs with the cooked dough. It may separate, but will come together by the time the last egg is added. |
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| Dough, all eggs in, awaiting the addition of the cheese. |
Add the grated cheese, and mix very slowly until the cheese is mixed in, and the cheese strands are still visible in the dough. Once the dough is made, it should be spooned out immediately.
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. Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are golden, firm, and, puffed, another 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, and using a toothpick, poke a small hole in the top of each pastry, to allow steam to escape, and prevent the pastries from collapsing. Transfer the pans to racks to cool.
Serving gougères are good straight from the oven and at room temperature. I like them both ways, but I think you can appreciate them best when they're still warm. Serve with kir, white wine, or champagne.
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| Fresh from the oven, the loosely incorporated cheese is visible (and sometimes slightly browned) in the pastry. |
Often, gougères are served filled; if you choose to fill them, use a serrated knife to cut each gougére in half. These can be filled numerous ways, using egg salad, chicken salad, slices of tomatoes & cheese, a dollop of cream cheese with a slice of cucumber, etc.
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| Using a serrated knife, cut the pastry. |
Additional Notes:
The best way to store gougères is to shape the dough, freeze the mounds on a baking sheet, and then, when they are solid, lift them off the sheet and pack them airtight in plastic bags. (I usually only bake 24 gougères at a time, and freeze the remaining dough mounds for later use). Bake them straight from the freezer (no need to defrost), just give them a minute or two more in the oven.
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