For me there`s not a single more wonderful way to start a meal than with a fresh gougère or two and a nice drink. It`s a mystery to me how the small cheese pastries are not more popular internationally. In France there`s even an annual festival dedicated to them. And also, they`re easy to make at home! Use whatever mature cheese you prefer, but I think varieties with a bit of taste gives the best result. The classic is with gruyère, comté or emmentaler, but here there`s room for creativity.
Ingredients
- 90 g plain white flour
- 2 x eggs
- 110 g mature cheese
- 1 tbsp chives
- 1 ½ dl milk
- 40 g butter
- ½ tsp salt
Method
- Take the saucepan off the heat and let cool down for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one by one. Make sure to stir vigorously to make sure they do not coagulate. Stir until you have an even dough.
- Turn down the heat and stir in the flour. Stir until the mixture has turned into an even dough.
- Use a piping bag or two spoons to divide the dough into small "balls" onto an oven sheet lined with parchment paper. You can make either 12 slightly bigger gougères or more small ones. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
- Bring milk, butter and salt to boil in a saucepan.
- Grate the cheese. Keep 3/4 of the cheese in one bowl and the rest in another. Finely slice the chives.
- Bake for about 12-14 minutes if you make bigger gougères, or slightly shorter time if you went for small ones. Voila, you`ve baked gougères!
- Preheat the oven to 230°C
- Stir in the chives and 3/4 of the cheese. The rest will be sprinkled on top of the gougères before baking. You can also use other herbs or aromates. I often add a pinch of chili flakes or a little finely chopped kimchi.
