GruyÈre GougÈres Food

CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water with the milk, butter, sugar and salt and stir over low heat until the sugar, butter and salt have melted. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a healthy simmer.
• Take from the heat and immediately add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, is smooth and no flour lumps remain. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring, careful not to scrape up the film, for a minute or two more.
• Transfer the mixture (panade) to a food processor. Mix for a minute to dissipate the heat. Add the eggs one at a time with the processor running. Pay attention to the consistency of the paste. It should be smooth and shiny, so you may only need 3 of the eggs. Stir in the cheese.
• Using a small cookie scoop, scoop generous mounds onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them an inch apart. Place in the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese puffs are golden brown.

GRUYERE GOUGERES

Steps:

• Place water, butter, salt and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Add all the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough is formed (about two minutes). Transfer dough into mixer with paddle attachment and mix on medium to slightly cool the mixture. Add the eggs one at a time making sure to incorporating each fully (the batter should be silky smooth). Add the cheese and white pepper to taste.
• Pipe quarter size puffs on parchment paper and bake in oven 450 for 7-8 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes until the gougeres are puffed and golden brown. Sobel likes topping his with a sliver of cured ham and a fried quail egg. You don't need to be that fancy though, because these taste darn good on their own.

GRUYERE GOUGERES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine water, butter, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add flour. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Return pan to heat and stir to let excess moisture evaporate, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let cool slightly.
• Add 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, cayenne, and black pepper to the dough. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. If mixture still clings to the beaters, add a fourth egg.
• Pipe or spoon tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto a the prepared baking sheet. Add a small pinch of remaining Gruyere cheese on top of each puff.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

CLASSIC GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Bring 1 cup water, butter, and salt to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until butter melts. Add flour; stir rapidly with wooden spoon until flour absorbs liquid and forms ball, pulling away from sides of pan. Stir vigorously until film forms on bottom of pan and dough is no longer sticky, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat; cool dough 2 to 3 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir in cheese and pepper.
• Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using damp fingertip, press down any peaks of dough.
• Bake gougères until golden brown, about 30 minutes, reversing position of pans halfway through baking. Using small sharp knife, pry open 1 gougère to check for doneness (center should be slightly eggy and moist). Serve hot or warm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 hours ahead. Transfer to racks; cool. Rewarm in 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1/2 cup water, the butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and mixture boils. Remove from heat, and stir in flour with a wooden spoon. Return pan to medium heat, and cook, stirring, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a film on bottom, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer batter to a bowl, and beat with a mixer on low speed until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes. Raise speed to medium, and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat 1 minute more. Batter should be shiny and form a string when pulled up with a finger; if string doesn't form, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it does. Stir in Parmesan.
• Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe about 30 mounds (1 inch in diameter) 1 inch apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush with egg yolk, and sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon Gruyere.
• Bake until gougeres are puffed and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature.

THYME GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring butter and 1 cup water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Remove from heat. Add flour, cayenne, and salt; stir vigorously to blend. Return to heat; stir vigorously over medium heat until mixture forms a ball and a thin, dry film forms on bottom and sides of pan, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 1 cup Gruyère, Asiago, and 2 teaspoons thyme; beat on low speed to blend. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg between additions, and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" tip or a plastic bag with 1/2" cut diagonally from 1 corner. Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets in 1"-1 1/4" rounds, spacing 1" apart. Whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Brush egg wash lightly over rounds, patting down to form rounded tops. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons Gruyère. Garnish each with a few thyme leaves.
• Bake gougères until puffed and golden brown and centers are cooked through but still moist, 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 month ahead. Let cool completely. Store airtight in freezer. Rewarm in 325°F oven until hot, 10-15 minutes.

GRUYERE AND ROSEMARY GOUGERES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Bring the milk and butter to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to be sure the butter is completely melted by the time the milk simmers.
• Add the flour, all at once, and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick paste.
• Decrease heat to low.
• Stir constantly until the paste comes together into a ball and films the bottom of the saucepan, about 1 minute.
• Adjust the heat as necessary so the paste cooks without burning.
• The idea here is to force off excess moisture, in the form of steam, from the paste in order to make a crisper pastry; remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Whisk 4 of the eggs in a bowl to combine them.
• One-fourth at a time, stir the beaten eggs into the hot dough in the saucepan, and stir well until the dough comes together into a glossy mass.
• Stir in the Gruyere, rosemary, mustard, salt, and pepper.
• Transfer the warm dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
• Pipe 25 walnut-size balls of dough, about 1 inch apart, onto the baking sheet.
• Or drop the dough from a teaspoon onto the sheet.
• Beat the remaining egg well with a pinch of salt.
• Lightly brush some of the egg glaze on the mounds of dough, being sure that the egg does no drip down onto the sheet.
• Bake until the balls are puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
• If the gougeres have not baked long enough, they will deflate when taken from the oven, so bake for at least 20 minutes before checking them.
• Remove the sheet from the oven.
• Pierce each gougere with the tip of a small knife (this releases the steam from the interiors of the puffs and helps crisp them).
• Return to the oven and continue baking until the gougeres are crisp, 5-8 minutes.
• Let cool briefly on the baking sheet.