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Maria Sinskey's Gougères

Servings: 6
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups Gruyère or other firm cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
  • 1 whisked egg, for brushing on top

Instructions

  • Bring the water, butter and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rosemary and thyme. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Return the pan to medium-high heat and stir until batter pulls away from the side of the pan. Scrape the batter into the bowl of a standing mixer and mix a few times with the paddle to cool the dough down a touch. This will prevent the eggs from scrambling when they hit the hot dough.
  • On low speed, add the eggs one by one; after each egg is added, increase the speed to medium and beat until the egg is incorporated. The eggs can also be beaten in by hand. Beat well after all eggs have been added. Add the Gruyère and Parmesan and beat until well incorporated.
  • On a parchment-lined sheet pan, using a pastry bag, pipe the batter into half dollar-sized rounds. The batter can also be scooped into mounds with a tablespoon. Freeze the puffs on the baking sheet. When frozen through, place in a tightly-sealed plastic bag and freeze until ready to use.
  • Preheat oven to 450°. Place the gougères 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Brush the surface of each gougère lightly with the whisked egg. Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 400° and bake until puffed and golden (this was about 5 minutes in my oven). Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe by Maria Sinskey, shared by Food and Wine.
Note: The original recipe calls for 40 minutes of initial baking time at 450 degrees before reducing the temp until these are done. I found that my gougeres got puffy and golden long before that point and needed to be pulled out after just 30 (25 minutes at 450 and 5 minutes after reducing the heat to 400), which is what I’ve included in the recipe below. This may just be due to my unpredictable Thai oven, but keep an eye on them the first time you make them. In any case, I imagine it is hard to go wrong – once they become golden and crisp on the outside, I see no way for them to be anything but delicious!