Burgundy: Gougère

Gougères are so  amazing!

No joke, I love these little treats. So much in fact that when I made them my friends and I ate all of them in one single evening. Yes, folks they are just that good!
Gougère are little cheese puffs that are a standard treat in the region a burgundy where they were created to be the perfect accompaniment to a fine class of wine from the Cote D'Or. Of course now they are a little more wide spread, including a bakery in down town Olympia, my kitchen and my belly!
These little warm puffs should be filled with the best Gruyère cheese (a regional cheese, similar to Swiss cheese but much more flavorful!) of course I was not about to spend the $20 it took to buy the correct amount of cheese so I went with a white cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese combo, it was good but the real thing is hard to beat.

Gougères are made up of a very strange dough that is heated on the stove and full of eggs, almost like a soufflé and quiche and cheese puff all in one... I did make the mistake of making the Gougères a bit too big and they did not have the light fluffy holey affect that one should get from a well-done Gougère but they were, as I said before, hard to keep my hands off of!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups H2O
1 stick butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs
2 TBS Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg and cayenne
1 1/2 cups (total) finely diced Swiss cheese and white cheddar (if you want to spend more on cheese you can get Gruyere which is the classic cheese for these but the option is just as great!)
3 TBS milk
Parmesan cheese, enough for sprinkling on top of each Gougères about 1/3 of a cup, or more!


LETS BEGIN!

 

Because we are eating Burgundy at its best right now you need to account for some amazing mustard! 

 

step 1: melt butter with water

step 2: remove from heat and add flour mix until combined, put back on heat until the batter is thick and it begins to pull away from the pan

step 3: remove from heat and add 1 egg at a time mixing well after each addition

step 4: add mustard and spices

step 5: add cheese

step 6: make TBS sized lumps on a cookie sheet (with waxed paper or silpat)

step 7: Brush tops with milk and add grated Parmesan cheese over the tops

step 8: bake them until golden brown (15-20 minutes at 350 degrees)

step 9: EAT THEM!