By Emily
With Hanukkah starting this week and Christmas only two weeks away, many of you have entertaining on your mind. Let me take this moment to remind you of my favorite make-ahead hors d’oeuvres: gougères. One of the most classic French pre-dinner bites, gougèresare small cheese puffs made withpâté à choux, which is the same dough that is used to makeprofiterolesandéclairs. In those cases, the dough is slightly sweetened, whereas here it is savory. But in both instances, you get that airy, puff-like texture.Gougèresare so popular in France that you can buy boxes of frozen ones to have on hand whenever company drops in.
It might be harder to find frozengougèresstateside, but they are still the perfecthors d’oeuvresbecause you can make them ahead of time, freeze them and then bake them off — straight from the freezer — a half-hour before your company comes. Clearly, these magical little puffs are an entertaining secret that must be shared.
The last thing you need when planning a dinner party is to stress out about thehors d’oeuvres. But at the same time, you want to start off the evening with something special. Well my friends, the answer is here. Imagine serving your guests hot, airy puffs of cheesy goodness without any stress or dirty dishes. They will be so impressed and only you will know that you did the actual work of it days, or even weeks ago.
This recipe forgougèresis adapted slightly from the one in Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful cookbookAround My French Table. Dorie — and I feel like we are on a first-name basis after I met her a few weeks ago — recommends using Gruyère or Comté cheese, which would certainly be very French. I like to useCabot Seriously Sharp Cheddarfor its wonderful sharp taste and to make this classic French dish more American. (Even Dorie confesses to using extra-sharp cheddar when she is back in the States.) I also add a pinch of cayenne pepper to mygougèresfor a subtle hint of spice.
Once you make the dough, you need to form the puffs right away, but the puffs can then be frozen on a tray until hard and stored in a plastic freezer bag until needed. Don’t bother to thaw the gougères before baking — they can go right from the freezer to the oven. Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
So for a convenient, make-ahead appetizer that will add a bit of European flair to your next dinner party, give this classicgougèresrecipe a try. Just try not let your guests fill up before dinner!
Cheddar Gougeres
Author:Emily Paster
Recipe type:Appetizer
Cuisine:French
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves:2 dozen
A make-ahead appetizer perfect for holiday entertaining
Ingredients
- 4 oz. (8 TB) unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp. salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 5 eggs at room temperature
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 425.
- Place the water, milk and butter in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring mixture to a boil and turn heat down to low. Add salt and cayenne pepper.
- Add flour and stir mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes together.
- Continue to stir for two more minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
- Remove pan from heat and pour dough into the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl.
- Using a standing mixer, handheld electric mixer, or a lot of elbow grease, beat the eggs into the dough one at a time. Make sure the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
- By the time you add the last egg, the mixture should be smooth and shiny.
- Add the grated cheese to the mixture and stir to combine.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.
- Using two soup spoons, place golf ball-sized mounds of dough on the baking sheets. (It is okay if they are not perfectly round.)
- If making ahead, freeze the mounds of dough on the trays until hardened. Then remove to a plastic freezer bag for storage.
- If using right away, place the trays in the oven and immediately turn down the heat to 375.
- Bake the gougeres for 26 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees halfway through. Make sure the gougeres are puffed and golden brown before removing from the oven.
- Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
More from my site
- Parmesan Pepper Gougeres
- New Year’s Eve Food
- Holiday Appetizer: Gravlax
- Chipotle, Pecan, and Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
- Dips for a Party: Hummus
- Make Gougeres (and Feel a Little French)
