Gougères!

I seem to get obsessed with certain foods and keep making them until I move unto something else. Since last fall...my current obsession has been gougères aka..cheese puffs.  


The base dough is pâte à choux, the same base as the sweet pastries like eclairs, profiteroles, and the lovely cream puffs you get for free at the Than Brother's Pho place.

It sounds fancy and seem hard to make, but the opposite is true. I was a bit afraid and resisted for a long time, but once I made my first batch...realized that it's so easy and soooo savory good.  


I made some for Thanksgiving and my mom went crazy for them. She even wrapped the leftovers and froze them before anyone could eat seconds.  I've never seen her like something I bake "that much" so today I decided to make a huge batch for her to take home and freeze.


The first time I had a great gougères was when I was in San Francisco at the Tartine's bakery.  They make theirs like a big giant roll size, and it was amazing.  I didn't think about these again until my October issue of Bon Appetit.  They had a recipe for Gruyere, assagio, and thyme version. This was the version I made for Thanksgiving.  Around the same time my staple, neighborhood bakery, Honoure has been making a similar version.  A 2 inch size for a $1.90 each.  I can eat like six of them so it's an expensive habit.  They also top with a little too much salt for my liking, but still I've been eating them weekly ever since.


Today I tried the Tartine's recipe and it even better than the Bon Appetit recipe.  The end result is very similar to the one eaten at their bakery. One of the main difference was using milk vs. water and adding an additional egg.  


Mom and I ate them out of the oven...and ooooohh my god. Heaven!  She took about 50 home and I kept 10. I'm going to make some more with different cheeses like english cheddar and parm.

Here is the Tartine's recipe:  

Choux Pastry

1 1/4 c nonfat milk or water
10 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 cup flour
5 large eggs
3/4 Gruyère cheese, grated
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

Topping
1 large egg
pinch salt
grated Gruyère for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet or use parchment paper.

Choux Pastry
Combine, milk or water with butter and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a boil. Turn off heat. Add flour all at once. Stir vigorously until it becomes a nice mush ball.

Transfer dough to a stand mixer. Add paddle attachment. Add egg one by one at medium speed. Make sure to incorporate egg before adding the next. After all the eggs have been added, mixture should be thick, smooth, and shiny.  Remove the bowl from stand mixer.

Add Gruyère, pepper and thyme by hand using a rubber spatula.

Transfer all contents to a pastry bag with 1/2 inch plain tip (no.6 or 7). Or put in large ziplock bag and cut 1/2 inch off a corner.  Pipe one inch mounds onto the baking sheet. Leave 1 inch between each puff.

To make topping, whisk 1 egg with pinch of salt and brush over each pastry. I brushed the outer bottom half since top will be covered with cheese.  Lightly sprinkle each pastry with a little cheese and additional thyme or herb.
Picture Place in the oven immediately and bake until are are puffed and browned  Recipe says 25 minutes but I had better success at 30 min.  Also if you are baking 2 trays, switch from top and bottom rack after 15 min so they bake evenly.


Serve hot or warm. Or let cool completely and place in an airtight container. You can freeze them and recrisp the puffs at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes. 

My next party, I'm making these for you dear friends...