As readers of this column may have gathered, I love cheese.
Whenever friends and I play the game of “what food would you choose for your last meal on death row” or “what food would you take with you if you could eat only one edible on a desert island,” my choice always involves cheese.
This may not be terribly healthy, particularly in the desert-island scenario. Let’s face it, when we’re down to our last meal, its healthiness is no longer an issue. Sometimes you have to be a little unhealthy, however.
That thought brings me to one of my favorite cheesy foods, gougères.
They are little (or big, if you prefer) French cheese puffs. They are basically cheese added to pâte à choux, or choux pastry, the basis for cream puffs, profiteroles and éclairs. “Choux” means cabbage, and the little puffs are often thought to resemble cabbage.
No one quite knows who decided to add cheese to this dough and create gougères.
“France Today” speculates, “No one is sure who invented gougères. Maybe it was Catherine de Medici, who legend says brought pâte à choux with her from Italy in the 16th century. Or maybe it was the town of Sens in Burgundy, where the menu for a 1571 wedding mentions gougères.”
I most recently and quite deliciously encountered gougères at the open house for the Friends of the Tyler Memorial Library in Charlemont during National Library Week. The public was encouraged to bring nibbles to this event.
I opted for something mundane and simple and contributed butterscotch brownies. Kerlin Conyngham was made of sterner stuff. She brought huge Gougères flavored with a traditional cheese, Gruyère. They were puffs of joy, and I immediately asked her for the recipe.
Unfortunately, the recipe was from a chef, Daniel Boulud, and could not be reprinted. Happily, Kerlin told me that she often changed the recipe … so it was fair game as long as I mentioned the chef.
She noted that she often makes Gougères with Cheddar, transforming them into more of a New England treat. Moreover, she does not keep on hand the Piment d’Espelette favored by Boulud; this is a gentle, smoky pepper from the Basque region of France. Therefore, Kerlin uses a hint of cayenne pepper.
I altered the recipe slightly more. Instead of cayenne, I decided to mimic the flavor of Piment d’Espelette with smoked paprika. And because I am so very happy these days that chives are finally appearing in my herb garden, I tossed in some chopped chives as well. These additions worked well.
If you haven’t tried making pâte à choux before, you may find it a bit daunting. After all, it’s French pastry. Never fear; it’s remarkably simple. You may find yourself serving gougères any time you want a splashy appetizer for your guests.
As you’ll note from the recipe below, there is no formal leavening such as baking powder or yeast in these puffs. They rise solely because of eggs. Consequently, they are mostly air and feel exceedingly light to eat.
It turns out that we are in Gougère season. Each May, Flogny-la-Chapelle, a town in Burgundy with a population about the size of Charlemont’s, hosts its Fête de la Gougère, or Gougère Festival. It took place last weekend, May 16 and 17.
The festival includes a Gougère-eating competition, recipe contests, concerts and of course lots of tasty gougères, not to mention other regional food and wine specialties, including Burgundy’s eponymous wine. There is also a children’s drawing competition.
Although, as I noted earlier, there were earlier references to gougères elsewhere, Flogny-la-Chapelle claims that a baker in the town perfected and codified the recipe in about 1800, making that town the home of gougères.
Maybe someday Kerlin and I can enter the contest at the Fête de la Gougère. Meanwhile, we can celebrate this tasty treat here in the United States.
Yankee Gougères
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sweet butter, cut up
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 1-1/2 teaspoons flour
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 eggs
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1-1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a saucepan, combine the milk, the water, the butter, and the half teaspoon of salt. Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat.
Stir in the flour and smoked paprika all at once, and beat with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are thoroughly blended in. Reduce the heat to low. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the dough pulls away from the side of the pan. This will not take long, perhaps 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Let it sit at room temperature until it cools just a little, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure they are thoroughly incorporated. I had a little trouble getting them to blend in so I switched to my electric mixer at this point. Stir in the chives and half of the cheese.
Drop 3-tablespoon mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are 2 inches apart. Top each mound with 1 tablespoon cheese, plus a little salt and pepper. (If you need a second baking sheet, bake that after the first one.)
Bake the Gougères for 15 minutes; then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until the puffs are crispy and smell delicious, about 20 minutes longer. Turn off the oven, leaving the Gougères inside, and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon.
Let the gougères rest inside for about 1/2 hour longer; then serve them still warm. You may also make the puffs early in the day (or the day before) and reheat them briefly before serving. Makes about 15 Gougères.
You may make smaller Gougères if you prefer; I generally do. In that case, cut down the first baking time to 12 minutes and bake for another 15 minutes or so. You will know that the Gougères are done when they smell amazing and are a golden brown. Overbaking may cause them to dry out.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.