Today I'd like to share with you my favorite recipe for aperitifs: cheese gougères!
These airy, crunchy cheese bites are easy to make. They're perfect for a aperitif gourmet.
The history of gougères
The history of gougères goes back to the heart of Burgundy, France, where these delicious cheese bites were born. Traditionally associated with the town of Mâcon, gougères are considered an emblematic dish of Burgundian cuisine.
Their origins date back to the Middle Ages, when monks in the region's monasteries began experimenting with choux pastry, a key ingredient in gougères.
Originally, these little cheese puffs were often served during religious or festive celebrations. Over the years, gougères have become popular throughout France and beyond, thanks to their simplicity, delicious taste and ability to be enjoyed both hot and cold, as an aperitif or side dish.
Today, gougères are appreciated the world over and remain a true symbol of French gastronomy.
Tips for making the best gougères
Choice of cheese
Traditionally, the cheese used is a hard cheese with a strong flavor. My favorite for gougères is Comté, but other cheeses such as Gruyère or Emmental are also often used.
Unfortunately, if you live in Canada like I do, these cheeses aren't available everywhere and are often expensive. So I tend to use parmesan, gouda or extra sharp cheddar.
Gougères are salted cabbages
As with baking sweet choux pastry, there are a few rules to follow.
Do not open the oven during baking. This may cause the oven temperature to drop and your gougères to deflate, which is impossible to reverse.
You'll need to keep an eye on them through the oven window. Make sure your gougères are golden brown and puffed up before you take them out. We want the outside to be crisp.
For more information on choux pastry, go to here and for cooking it's a bit like the chouquettes.
Less traditional variants
If you're looking for something a little different, you can try making gougères with different spices, such as curry, or herbs (dill, chives, Provençal herbs...). Simply add them to the recipe at the same time as the cheese.
Another variation is to stuff the gougères, as with cream puffs. For this, I recommend a mornay sauce, which I tried at Foxy's in Montreal and which was delicious, or another cheese sauce. Once the gougères are ready, you can either cut them in half for filling, or fill them from the bottom using a piping bag.
Remember to warm them up a little in the oven before serving, as gougères are always better warm or hot.
Don't hesitate to send me your best success stories.
Get cooking!
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Easy Gougères Recipe: How to Make Delicious Cheese Bites
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 45 gougères 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Today I'd like to share with you my favourite recipe for aperitifs: gougères!
These airy, crunchy cheese bites are easy to make. They're perfect for a aperitif gourmet.
Ingredients
- 125 gr Water
- 125 gr Semi-skimmed milk
- 75 gr butter (⅓ cup)
- 5 eggs
- 150 gr Flour
- 2.5 gr caster sugar
- 4 gr Fine salt
- 150 gr (1 ¼ cups) mixed grated cheese (Parmesan, Comté, Gouda)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour the milk, water and chopped butter into a saucepan. Place over high heat.
- Bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium, then pour in all the "powders" (flour, salt, sugar) at once.
- Mix over medium heat for about 5 minutes. The aim is to dry out the dough as much as possible.
- Pour the dough (which should form a more or less uniform ball) into the bowl of your food processor or a large salad bowl.
- Knead the dough (using the food processor's flat beater or a wooden spoon), adding the eggs one at a time.
- Stir in finely grated cheese.
- Place the choux pastry in a piping bag and pipe 3-7 cm rounds onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. If you don't have a piping bag, use a spoon.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for 25 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of your choux).
- Once the choux are golden brown, remove from the baking sheet and leave to cool before serving.
Notes
During cooking, it's very important not to open the oven door. If you open it too early, the choux will fall back and you won't be able to catch up.
Try to keep the same size of choux on the different trays. If you have large and small choux on the same tray, they will cook very differently, and as you can't open the oven door, you risk missing the large choux if you want to take out the small ones once they're cooked.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Aperitif
- Cuisine: French
English 
French
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