Moose’s Classic Gougères

In stark contrast to the new-fangled technology behind the Deconstructed PB&J is the gougères, a traditional French dish that pre-dates the American Revolution. The fun thing about gougères is that they sound really impressive for a little work. You can say things like, “Oh, these gougères? They’re nothing. I just whipped up a pâte à choux, threw in a little gruyere and called it a day” and still have time to enjoy wine with friends. Because really, it’s just a cheese puff with a fancy name. You gotta love the French.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• Large pinch of coarse sea salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 1/2 ounces Gruyère cheese (1 cup) cut into fine cubes, plus more for sprinkling
• Freshly ground pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg

• Equipment: parchment paper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; stir over low heat until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.

Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat in a 350° oven until piping hot.

Notes
When making the choux pastry, it’s important that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Don’t worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first. Keep beating, and it will come together nicely.

Recipe by Janah Adickman.