Almond Gougeres Food

GOUGèRES (FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS)

Steps:

• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Bring the milk, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium and, using a wooden spoon, immediately start stirring energetically. The dough will form into a ball and there will be a light film on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for another two minutes or so to dry the dough: Dry dough will make puffier puffs.
• Turn the dough out into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and elbow grease). Let the dough sit for a minute to cool, then add the eggs one by one, followed by the white, beating on medium speed until each one is incorporated before adding the next. The dough may look as though it's separating or falling apart -- just keep going, and by the time the egg white goes in, the dough will be smooth. Beat in the mustard, followed by the cheese. Give the dough a last mix-through by hand.
• Scoop or spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough (I use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop), and drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds. (The scooped dough can be frozen on the baking sheets.)
• Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are puffed, golden, and firm enough to pick up, another 15 to 17 minutes. Serve immediately -- these are best directly from the oven. Storing: Although the puffs are best served hot out of the oven, they are still nice (although flatter) at room temperature that same day. If you want to keep baked puffs longer, freeze them and then reheat in a 350°F-oven for a few minutes.
• Make-Ahead/Freezer Instructions: Scoop the dough and freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then pack them in an airtight container. You can bake them straight from the freezer; just give them a few more minutes in the oven.
• Note/Variation: Dorie adds ⅔ cup walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and chopped, to these gougères. My family prefers them without nuts but it's a nice variation to try. Add them along with the cheese.

GOUGERES WITH GRUYERE MORNAY AND BEER MUSTARD

Steps:

• For the gougeres: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepot combine the milk, sea salt, sugar and butter, and bring to a boil. Add the flour and cook until thoroughly incorporated, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until the dough is the temperature of warm tap water, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Fold in half of the gruyere and some pepper.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch round pastry tip. Pipe 1-inch-wide rounds on the prepared baking sheets 2-inches apart, about 60 total. Sprinkle the top with the remaining gruyere and some black pepper.
• Wet a fingertip and press down lightly to remove the point on each gougere. Bake for 8 minutes and rotate. Bake until the gougeres are golden brown, another 4 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• For the Mornay: In a medium saucepot set over low heat, melt the butter and sweat the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and cook until it smells toasted, 2 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring continuously so no lumps form. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Slowly add the gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and stir until smooth. Add the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the Mornay to a bowl and cool in the fridge or set over ice. When cool, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small tip.
• For the sauce: In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, beer extract powder, honey, mustard powder and vinegar, and whisk thoroughly to remove the lumps. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill the gougeres with the Mornay sauce and reheat in the oven to melt the cheese, 5 minutes. Serve the hot gougeres with the beer mustard.

GOUGERES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat the milk and butter in a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the mixture simmers and the butter is melted, add the flour all at once and stir. Add the salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to dry the mixture out. Turn off heat and stir a bit more to cool slightly.
• Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well to incorporate each egg before adding the next. Stir in the cheese, mustards, and cayenne and mix until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag with a large plain tip.
• Pipe the mixture onto to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet in rows of kisses, about 1- inch in diameter.
• Smooth out any bumps with a fingertip dipped in flour.
• (The recipe can be made to this point up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated, or frozen for up to a week. Thaw at room temperature before baking.)
• Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue baking until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes more.

CLASSIC GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water, butter, salt and cayenne to a boil. Stir in flour all at once and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until dough pulls away from the sides of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scrape dough into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with a paddle until cooled slightly, about 30 seconds. (Or you can do this with a wooden spoon if you beat vigorously.) Add one egg at a time, letting each one incorporate before adding the next. Mix in Gruyère and continue to beat until it is mostly melted into batter.
• Transfer batter to a large, sealable plastic bag, and snip off 3/4 inch from one corner. Pipe 2-teaspoon-sized balls, spaced 1-inch apart, onto baking sheets. Or use a spoon to form the balls. Sprinkle Parmesan on top, and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until golden and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly then serve immediately.