Poppable Golden Balls Of Goodness. Gougères are fun to make and fabulous at a party or just as a snack.
Gougéres are the excellent and fun savory appetizer cousin of the cream puff. They are served all over France for wine tasting and cocktail parties. Don’t let their simple appearance fool you. Gougéres are delicious balls of goodness. Depending on the cheese they can be subtle and delicate to funky and tangy. Traditionally in France, they use Compté or Gruyère, but a good sharp cheddar is fabulous!
Choux dough is really not that difficult to make, in fact, it is a fun dough to learn. It puffs up into golden balls just from all the eggs and butter in the dough and can be sweet or savory. The key is to make sure you cook the flour before you add the eggs. And that you beat in each egg thoroughly before you add the next. It takes a bit of muscle, and the dough looks like it just won’t come together from the slimy chunks. But if you continue to beat it, the mess will all of a sudden, magically combine into a silky smooth dough. This same dough could be piped int shapes and filled.
These little balls of cheesy joy are the perfect thing to serve for a cocktail party. Gougéres are delicate but flavorful and easy to eat, they pair well with wine or cocktails. They can be made a few hours ahead and popped in the oven when you need them or even reheated. These cheesy golden balls can also be served at room temperature.
If you have never made Gougéres before, I encourage you to try. They are indeed a joy to make. Let me know in the comments below what cheese you have used and how you have made them.
Gougéres are the excellent and fun savory appetizer cousin of the cream puff.
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons ¾ stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cyanine pepper
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 6 ounces 1½ cups grated Comté, Gruyère, or sharp cheddar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese or grated
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Preheat oven to 400°.
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In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter, salt, nutmeg, and cyanine.
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Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the butter is melted.
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Remove from heat, add flour, and stir to combine.
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Place the pan back over the heat and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and starts to form a ball.
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Continue to cook until a film forms on the bottom of the pan and the dough is no longer sticky, about 2 minutes more. You are making sure the flour is cooking through.
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Take off the heat. Let cool slightly for about 2 minutes.
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One at a time beat in the whole eggs using a wooden spoon. It may seem like they won’t blend, but if you put just a little muscle into it, the egg will incorporate. Make sure you have beaten each egg in thoroughly before adding the next egg. You may use a mixer, but it doesn’t take that much time to do this by hand.
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Add in the grated Compté and the black pepper. Beat the dough with the wooden spoon until all of the cheese has been fully incorporated.
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Scrape the batter into a piping bag fitted with a ½” round tip (you could use a plastic bag with a ½” opening cut diagonally from 1 corner).
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Pipe 1” rounds about 1 ½ -2” apart onto 2 Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets.
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Whisk egg yolk and 1 tsp water in a small bowl; brush rounds with egg wash.
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Place one piece of Parmesan cheese or sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the glaze.
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Bake the gougères until puffed and golden brown and dry in the center (they should sound hollow when tapped), 20–25 minutes.
Dough can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chilled. Gougères can be baked 2 hours ahead; reheat in a 400° oven before serving.
These will cometogether very quickly if you have everything ready before you start.
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