Petits Choux Au Fromage Ou Gougeres Cheese Puffs Food

FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan). Lightly grease 2 trays then line with parchment / baking paper.
• Place water, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil until butter is full melted.
• Remove from stove, add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated.
• Return to stove on LOW heat and mix for 1 minute (this dries the mixture out, see video for before/after).
• Remove from stove, leave for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 egg, mix vigorously until incorporated - batter splits at first, but it always comes together!
• Add 3 more eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Good arm workout! (Or use electric beater)
• Stir in 2 cups cheese.
• Drop 1 tablespoon mounds onto trays (small cookie scoop is ideal, otherwise use a measuring tablespoon and a teaspoon to scrape out. Can make larger - good for dunking!)
• Brush with yolk, then top with a pinch of reserved Cheese for topping.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes so they become crusty and inside dries out a bit.
• Serve warm as pre dinner nibbles, finger food at gatherings, or dunk into soups and stews!

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.

TARTINE'S GOUGERES CHOUX AU FROMAGE - FRENCH STYLE CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• To make the Choux paste, combine the milk, butter and salt in a sauce pan and place over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil.
• Add the flour all at once, stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth paste and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the paste to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or may be mixed by hand).
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium speed (or mix by hand vigorously), incorporating each egg completely before adding the next egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding each egg. When all of the eggs have been added the mixture will be thick, smooth and shiny.
• Add the cheese, pepper and thyme, and gently mix in by hand with a rubber spatula.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain or round tip (no. 6 or 7), filling it about 1/3 of the way full so it is still easy to handle. Pipe the mixture out onto the parchment, making quarter size (about 1 inch) mounds. Leave about 1 1/2 inch space between the mounds. Or, you can use a spoon to drop the mounds onto the parchment, but it is harder to control the thick mixture.
• The mounds may have cheese poking out in odd directions. With a wet finger just pat the mound into a more uniform shape.
• To make the topping, whisk together the egg and salt. Brush the tops of the mounds and then sprinkle with the cheese.
• Place the Gougères immediately into the preheated oven and don�t open the door until they are nicely browned or they may collapse.
• Bake until they have puffed and are nicely browned, about 25-30 minutes.
• They are delicious served hot, warm or room temperature. They can also be frozen in an airtight container, and re-crisped directly from the freezer in an 350F degree oven for 5 minutes.

PETITS CHOUX AU FROMAGE OU GOUGERES (CHEESE PUFFS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line 2 aluminum baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the water, olive oil and salt in a saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Add the sifted flour all at once and stir well.
• Cook the mixture, stirring constantly to break up any lumps, and until the dough begins to come away from the sides of the pan, approximately 5 minutes.
• Immediately transfer the dough to a *mixing bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the dough on medium speed to cool to room temperature.
• *(I used standard mixing bowl and electric beaters.).
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. You want a stiff but pliable texture to the dough.
• Finally, add the gruyere cheese and black pepper. Continue mixing for 1 minute.
• Using a greased teaspoon, drop the dough 2" apart onto the baking sheet. (You can alternatively use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip and pipe the dough into 1" diameter balls 2" apart onto the baking sheet.).
• Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking the puffs until cooked through, about another 20-25 minutes.