Gougères (French Cheese Puffs)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 oz unsalted butter
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 whole large eggs
• 1.5 cups Gruyère cheese, finely grated
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. 1

   Position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. 2

   In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup whole milk, 4 oz unsalted butter (cut into small cubes for even melting), 0.5 tsp fine sea salt, and 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Set over medium heat and stir occasionally until the butter melts completely and the mixture is hot but not boiling — you should see steam rising from the surface.

3. 3

   Remove the pan from heat. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a thick, smooth paste. The dough should pull away from the sides of the pan cleanly — this is your choux pastry base.

4. 4

   Let the dough cool for 2-3 minutes — it should still be warm but not hot. This prevents the eggs from scrambling when you add them.

5. 5

   Crack 1 large egg into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork to break the yolk. Add it to the warm dough and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the egg is completely incorporated and the dough becomes smooth again — it will look shiny and slightly separated at first, then come back together. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.

6. 6

   Once all eggs are incorporated, fold in 1.5 cups finely grated Gruyère cheese, 0.5 tsp Dijon mustard, and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Stir until the cheese is evenly distributed — the batter should be glossy, smooth, and hold peaks when you lift the spoon.

7. 7

   Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 0.5-inch round tip. Pipe mounds about the size of a cherry (roughly 0.75-inch diameter) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1.5 inches apart — they will puff and expand during baking. If the batter is very thick and hard to pipe, dip the tip of the bag into warm water occasionally to help it flow.

8. 8

   Place both baking sheets in the preheated 425°F oven on the upper rack. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the gougères are puffed, golden brown, and crispy-looking on the outside. They should be just barely firm when you gently tap one with your finger — avoid opening the oven door for the first 10 minutes, as a sudden temperature drop can cause them to collapse.

9. 9

   Remove from the oven and transfer the gougères to a wire rack while still warm. They'll continue to crisp up slightly as they cool. Serve warm or at room temperature — they're best eaten within an hour of baking, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 hours and rewarmed in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes.

Tools you’ll need

• medium saucepan
• wooden spoon
• small bowl
• fork
• pastry bag
• 0.5-inch round piping tip
• two large baking sheets
• parchment paper
• wire rack
• oven

More recipes like this

• 

  Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

  28 min

• 

  Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant

  25 min

• 

  Patatas Bravas

  25 min

• 

  Quick Chicken and Leek Pie

  28 min