Name: Gougeres or Savory French Cheese Puffs recipe by Vineet Kaur at BetterButter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Water; 4 tbsp Butter; 1/2 cup Flour; A pinch of salt; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup grated sharp cheese: I used Gruyere, you can even use Cheddar or Parmesan; 1 tsp finely chopped chives as I had them on hand (You can use bacon bits, thyme or any herb of your choice for extra flavor); 1 tsp fresh, coarsely ground black pepper

ABOUT Gougeres or Savory French Cheese Puffs RECIPE

(Cheesy, Delicious and Light as Air Hors d'Oeuvre Recipe Inspired by Chef John of Food Wishes). Gougères in French Cuisine is a baked savory "choux pastry" made of "choux" dough mixed with cheese. "Choux Pastry" is a light pastry dough used to make sweet cream puffs, éclairs, etc, which contains only butter, water, flour and eggs. Instead of a raising agent it employs high moisture content to create steam during cooking to puff the pastry. Gougères are one of the treasures of French cuisine and can be found everywhere there, although it's home is Burgundy. These are super easy to make and so light (hollow inside) and delicious that they are gone in minutes at most of my parties. They are best served warm, right out of the oven or at room temperature and hence can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients Serving: 2

1/2 cup Water
4 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Flour
A pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated sharp cheese: I used Gruyere, you can even use Cheddar or Parmesan
1 tsp finely chopped chives as I had them on hand (You can use bacon bits, thyme or any herb of your choice for extra flavor)
1 tsp fresh, coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees centigrade). Line a baking sheet with butter/parchment paper. Keep your ingredients ready before you start.
Stir water, butter and salt together in a pot, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and energetically whisk flour into butter mixture until a paste like dough forms. Transfer the dough into a bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Vigorously whisk without stopping, 1 egg, chives and black pepper into cooled dough until egg is completely incorporated and the dough is thick and shiny. First egg should be completely incorporated before you add the second one.
Add remaining egg and whisk vigorously again until second egg is also incorporated completely in the dough.
Stir 3/4 the cheese into dough until well combined. Scoop with a tsp about 1-inch balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet and have space between the balls to enlarge when baking. Top each with remaining cheese.
Once the dough is made, it should be scooped out immediately onto the baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden and puffed, about 20 minutes.
Under baking can cause the puffs to deflate, so make sure they are golden brown before removing them from the oven.
Enjoy these with wine or however you desire. Bon Appetit!

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