By definition, gougères are puffs of choux pastry flavored with cheese. In other words, they’re little clouds of savory goodness. Whip up a batch and I promise it will disappear in a snap.
Like popovers, gougères are easy to prepare and go well with just about anything. Or you can enjoy them au naturel, as I prefer to do.
I made these black pepper and Cambozola gougères as an accompaniment to pan-seared New York strip steak, a gift from my local Whole Foods. If you’re curious, I followed this recipe. As the instructions warn, it’s smoky (I had the exhaust fan on high and our alarm still went off), but Jason gave the finished product two thumbs-up.
You can also split and stuff the gougères with an assortment of fillings – soft scrambled eggs, chicken salad, thinly sliced roast beef, you name it.
Recipe adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup crumbled Cambozola (see notes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the butter, water and wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, salt and pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides and a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool slightly. Add the Cambozola and beat on low speed until combined.
- Add 1 egg and beat until combined. Add the second egg and beat until combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Brush tops of gougères with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately or at room temperate.
