Gougères

Another cheesy nibble for you here. Gougères are also French and also delicious! They also fit the bill for something light but tempting and so, they were added to my French Menu last weekend. I’d had some, very limited and ultimately unsuccessful, experiments with choux pastry a few years back.

Luckily, I didn’t let this dissuade me and I threw myslef into making these with no fear… it would have been good if the recipe I had chosen had actually worked! I ended up having to tweak it on the fly because it was, quite simply, rubbish! I’m quite proud of the fact that I am now at the point with my cooking where I can do this. Unexpected results don’t phase me and I can adapt recipes as I’m going along. I think I’ve come a long way!

I have to confess that I think they’d be better with some cheese inside them, if you want to do that just split them with a sharp knife, add what you like and then pop the halves back together.

Makes ~30

1/2 cup water
40g butter
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
1/2 to 1 cup plain flour
2 large eggs
100g grated cheddar

– Heat the oven to Gas mark 7/220C and line two baking trays.
– Put the water, butter, salt and pepper in a pan and heat until the butter in melted.
– Add 1/2 cup of flour and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. You may well need to add more flour, I certainly did!
– When it has formed a proper ball, which doesn’t look wet, remove it from the heat and then leave to cool for a few minutes.
– Beat the eggs on a separate bowl or jug.
– Once the mixture has cooled add the eggs in about 4 goes, beating thoroughly until it combines to make a smooth batter. You don’t want the eggs to ‘cook’.
– The mixture should not be too mobile as you want to shape it into balls, not have it flow away. You can add more flour if neccessary at this point if it’s gone wrong.
– Add about 90g of the cheese to the mixture and stir through.
– Shape into balls the size of a walnut, either by using a piping bag or using two teaspoons to shape the mixture. Place the balls on the lined baking trays.
– Add a small pinch of cheese to the top of each one.
– Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes before turning to oven down to Gas mark 5/190C and baking for a further 20 minutes until completely golden brown.
– Serve warm as they are or split and filled. You can keep them warm in the oven for a little while if neccessary.