Savory French Cheese Puffs (Gougère)

We fell in love with these savory cheese puffs on a recent trip to the Burgundy region in France. Made with choux pastry and served warm, gougères traditionally include Gruyere cheese but grated Emmental, Comte, Parmigiano-Reggiano or even cheddar can also be used. They are a simple and elegant pre-party appetizer that pairs well with wine (of course!).

Gougères

Gougères can be made ahead and frozen (either raw, or baked). This recipe is adapted from several sources.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Servings: 24 pastries (approximate)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 g)
  • 1 cup water (250 ml)
  • 1 cup flour (130 g) (all purpose)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese (42 g) (grated)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Grease a baking sheet or use a silicone liner.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan on the stove. Add water and bring to boiling.
  • Add flour and salt, stirring vigorously until the mixture comes together into a ball.
  • Remove from heat and cool about five minutes.
  • Add eggs one at a time. The dough will get clumpy after each addition, but keep stirring until it is smooth again before adding the next egg.
  • Once the eggs are incorporated, mix in the grated cheese.
  • Drop the batter in heaping tablespoons onto the greased baking sheet. (Alternately, you can use a pastry bag to pipe the dough onto the sheet.) If desired, you can sprinkle a little extra cheese on top prior to baking.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 20-24 puffs.

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