Herb and Pickled Ramp Gougeres with a Spring Cheese Board
Published Mar 08, 2016•Updated Nov 08, 2023
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Gougeres sound fancy but are made with a simple dough. Served warm, straight out of the oven, gougeres are little clouds of dough filled with herbs and pickled ramps are an appetizer that are sure to impress. Only you will ever know how easy they are to make! We love them all the time, but gougeres are also a wonderful addition to spring cheese board next to some of our favorite cheeses and some bright radishes.
Cheese Board Tips:
The key to a beautiful cheese board is variety, right? To celebrate spring, we loved this combination of color, texture and flavor. This board has:
Color – Red from those radishes, pink from savory sausage, gold from grainy mustard, blue from that super textured Castello Danish Blue.
Texture – Crunch from fresh radishes dipped in butter and salt, creaminess from smooth Castello Creamy Havarti, chew from Marcona almonds.
Flavor – The most fun thing about a great cheese board is enjoying all the different flavor combinations it presents. And the possibilities here are endless. There’s salty, savory, tangy notes in all the elements of the board, including the cheese. Warm, puffy gougeres provide a light and irresistible base for each bite.
Filled with fresh herbs and tart, slightly sweet pickled ramps, these gougeres are an addition that will surely impress, but are actually incredibly easy to execute.
Add Some Gougeres
Gougeres are one of those fancy-sounding appetizers that seem like they’d be the sole territory of fancy French restaurants. But the truth is, gougeres are made out of ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, freeze well, and come out of the oven as warm lighter-than-air puffs that snack dreams are made of.
And if you really want to make your own cheese board with an eye towards spring, be sure to include fresh, red radishes alongside those creamy cheeses.
Ever tried radishes dipped in butter and salt? It’s darn near life-changing. The creamy butter is the perfect complement to the bite of tart radishes. And a little bite of radish in butter and salt offers a fresh counterpoint to the rich, addictive flavors of the cheese.
All this cheese and wine talk is putting a serious damper on productivity here today. As is the early Spring weather that has hit Kansas and has all of us, including Molly and Clara, itching for any opportunity to get outside. Sending spring thoughts your way, wherever you may be!
More Spring Recipes
- Muffin Pan Strawberry Shortcakes
- Bacon, Corn and Avocado Salad
- Semolina Yogurt Cake
- Creamy Shells with Peas and Bacon
- Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes
- Sweet and Salty Easter Bark
- Carrot Top Chocolate Cupcakes
- Spring Cobb Salad with Creamy Herb Yogurt Dressing
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Herb and Pickled Ramp Gougeres with a Spring Cheese Board
Equipment
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Saucepan
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F / 204C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine water, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the flour. Return the pan to heat and stir until the batter forms a smooth paste and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Transfer dough to the bowl of a standing mixer and mix a few times on low to cool (this will prevent the eggs from scrambling in the hot dough).
- Turn the mixer on low speed and add 4 eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate fully before adding the next. Increase the speed and beat on medium until smooth.
- Add chives and ramps and mix just until evenly incorporated.
- Use a pastry bag or Tablespoon to transfer even portions of dough to prepared baking sheet (this should make about 30 Tablespoon-sized gougeres). Whisk the final egg and brush it over the top of the gougeres.
- Bake gougeres until lightly golden on top and puffed (the insides should sound hollow when you tap the outside), 20 to 25 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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