Traditional pâte à choux—cream-puff pastry—gives these addictive cheese puffs their light and airy consistency. The recipe calls for Gruyère and crushed dill seeds, but experiment with different cheeses and seasonings to create your own signature appetizer. The gougères can be made ahead and frozen for up to a week. Simply reheat and serve warm, paired with a flute—or two—of Champagne.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 40 Gougères
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a heavy saucepan bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt over high heat and reduce the heat to moderate. Add the flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from the side of the pan.
Step 2
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and with an electric mixer on high speed, beat in 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter should be stiff enough to just hold soft peaks and fall softly from a spoon. If the batter is too stiff, in a small bowl beat the remaining egg lightly and add to the batter, a little at a time, beating on high speed, until batter is desired consistency.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 375°F with the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment.
Step 4
In a small heavy skillet, dry-roast the seeds over moderate heat, shaking the skillet, until fragrant and slightly darker, being careful not to burn them, 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small bowl and cool. With a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder, grind seeds coarse.
Step 5
Stir the cheese and 1 teaspoon ground seeds into the batter and arrange level tablespoons about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining ground seeds and bake, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking, 30 minutes, or until puffed, golden, and crisp. Serve gougères warm.
DO AHEAD
Step 6
The GOUGÈRES keep, chilled in sealable plastic bags, 2 days, or frozen 1 week. Reheat gougères, uncovered, in a preheated 350°F oven 10 minutes if chilled or 15 minutes if unthawed frozen.
