Gougeres - help!

[Tom P]

I want to make these to serve with Champagne on Thanksgiving...the time I tried it before they were not very good (not crisp outside and a little gummy)

Does anyone have an easy and/or good recipe? Thanks!

[cassoulady]

I know many people have mentioned freezing gougeres then reheating. I was hoping to make them friday afternoon, bake, put in fridge for a few hours then reheat that evening- any suggestions on temp/time for reheating unfrozen?

[AMFM]

don't. i tried it and they were NOT good.

[AMFM]

and fyi they WERE good right out of the oven but lost something reheated. not dreadful but i was disappointed.

[cuccubear]

Fresh from the oven is definitely best, but any leftovers I actually prefer at room temp. I stored them in an air-tight container on the counter.

[ChefJune]

You can reheat unfrozen in a 250 oven in a brown paper bag for 10-a2 minutes.

[AMFM]

thanks! they were tasty enough i'd make them again so this is good to know.

[cassoulady]

I used to use a pastry bag, then lent mine to a friend and it is still MIA. I now just use a ziploc with the tip cut off and it actually works fine, so dont stress if you dont have a pastry bag and tips, it just takes a little more of steady hand with a ziploc. Also, I used to a Silpat but that also has gone MIA and now just use parchment paper.

[clepro]

I make gougeres often. Once you get the hang of incorporating the eggs, which is really just a matter of patience and faith, they're a snap. However, don't know if your recipe calls this out, but it's important for your eggs to be at room temp. Makes a world of difference in how quickly/well they incorporate and the gougeres puff.

I've done piping, free form drops, and scoops. It's never made any difference other than appearance, as long as the sizes are fairly uniform. I like the rustic look of the free form drops, but if I wanted a more formal look I'd choose the piping or cookie scoop.

[cuccubear]

I am curious...does anyone shape their gougere? When I drop it from the spoon they are irregularly shaped and not all the same size, some resemble small biscuits. Am I making them too big? Another poster, souchef, suggested it had something to do with my batter.

[chowser]

I use a small cookie/ice cream scoop so they're all uniform but I think they look nice, home made, when they're irregularly shaped. Different sizes might cause problems w/ doneness, though.

[cuccubear]

I liked the irregular shape as well, and they were done inside, light and airy. No one complains...they're too busy gobbling them down!

[MMRuth]

I use a pastry bag with a large-ish tip.

[c oliver]

Is this something I can teach myself? Would gougeres be as good as anything to practice with? Thanks.

[MMRuth]

Yes, though I wonder if there is some other thing that you could put in to practice - as opposed to going to the trouble of making the pate a choux. And, you could also, as some one suggest, just try using a ziplock bag.

[chowser]

Meringues/egg whites would be easier to practice on if you're looking for piping skills. Make them stiff w/ some sugar. Ziplock bags work or you can fold parchment into a pastry bag for something you'd have at home.

[c oliver]

Thank you! And the dogs can have the yolks.

[cassoulady]

I use the Julia Child recipe. It is a basic pate a choux recipe with gruyere added. And I dont bother with a pastr bag, just a ziploc with the corner cut off- easier clean up. Once they are close to done, I take them out and prick them on the side with a toothpick, then pop them back in the oven for about two minutes. I find that this lets the inside cook more so they arent as doughy. The toothpick makes a small enough hole so they dont deflate.

[jules127]

I would really like to make gougeres for Thanksgiving as well. Can these be baked while the turkey is in the oven?

[AMFM]

if the temp is right. they didn't take much room. i'd think you could also do them in small amounts in a toaster oven. my experience when i made them though was that they were excellent at first, but very mediocre reheated (which was too bad since that's how they were for the party). they just lost that puffyness.

[MMRuth]

I've actually had good luck with freezing them and reheating - what temperature did you reheat them at?

[jules127]

I had the same bad luck reheating them as AMFN. I reheated mine at 325. Though even if it is a matter of reheating them, they would still need to share an oven with the turkey. And I don't have a toaster oven.

[sarah galvin]

I just had gougeres last night at my cocktail party. I made them about 3 weeks ago and froze them. Put them in the oven at 325-350 just to crisp up a little. They were great. I had taken them out of the freezer, so they were at room temp and it only took 5 min in the oven.

[AMFM]

just found this thread - someone had suggested gourgeres as an app for a french mystery party i'm throwing in a week. they sound great and i love the bake ahead and freeze idea. should i set out with olives and cocktails? i saw some suggested champagne - how about a champagne based cocktail like a french 75 or something? before an arugula salad and then coq au vin? THANKS!!!!

[MMRuth]

Gougeres are wonderful with champagne. I'm not a fan of serving olives with wines - usually only put them out with sherry.

[AMFM]

fair enough. was just thinking out loud of things to put out but they really do sound quite awful with champagne or things don't they? :)

should i have something else out with them or will they be enough?

[TorontoJo]

They are quite lovely on their own with Champagne. But if you feel you need something more substantial, I often serve them with shrimp that I've sauteed in butter with garlic, shallots and white wine. The shrimp and the gougeres complement each other nicely. If you're worried about the last minute cooking required, you could always serve the shrimp cold.

This recipe from epicurious is very good, and the green onions add a nice additional savory note. I recommend adding a touch more salt to the recipe and skipping the sprinkle of salt on top.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[Maxmillion]

FYI -- I made several batches of gougeres over the holidays and they were always a hit.

I noticed they were kind of flattish, having spread out during baking when I used a silpat. I switched to good old parchment paper (ungreased) and they turned out well (and round).

[AnneInMpls]

Thanks for this tip! I use silpat for everything, and my gougeres do tend to be rather flattish. I thought it was the soft blue cheese I used, but maybe not. I'll be sure to use real parchment paper next time.

Anne

[tachis]

I was wondering what to serve with cocktails before Thanksgiving dinner that was elegant and tasty without being too filling, and stumbled on this thread--now I think my search is over!

I've never done these before, so I'm going to do a "dress rehearsal" this weekend--I'm going to be cooking in someone else's kitchen on the big day, so I want to make sure I've got the thing down before I change locales.

Someone posted earlier that the recipe from Zuni Cafe cookbook was good. So since I have that book, I think I'm going to go with that recipe. Seems easy enough. But I have a few questions... (please bear with me--I'm totally new to this technique and feel incredibly intimidated! and I appologize if I repeat anything already posted!)

1. Can another cheese be subbed for the gruyere? And if so, what are suitable replacements? Or is it best to stick with tradition here? Just curious.

2. I'd like to do these on Wednesday afternoon/evening or early Thur morning. Can I store at room temp? Air-tight or not?

Sorry if I'm being repetivite. But any more advice you can offer to a first-time gougere attempt would be greatly appreciated!

[AnneInMpls]

Tachis, I've made these Blue Cheese Gougeres, and they're fabulous.

http://www.kingestate.com/learn/wine_...

However, because most blue cheese is softer than gruyere, they're a bit fussy to make - it's harder to get the moisture content right. When I used a soft blue cheese (Maytag, I think), my gougeres were flattish and non-puffy, but they still tasted good. I ended up making a second batch with one less egg, then eating all the flat ones myself.

If you made them on Wednesday, I'd recommend freezing them - I worry that they'll soak up moisture and get soggy if they sit at room temperature. But I'll bet that warming them in the oven would crisp them up again (they're great warm). Air-tight storage is definitely a good idea in any case.

Anne

[AnneInMpls]

Oh, and here's a recipe that uses Fontina and Prosciutto. (The chef mentions subbing Taleggio, so I think that any strong-tasting hard cheese works in a gougere). I haven't made this one, but it's on my list to try.

http://msp.blogs.com/chowandagain/200...

Anne

[tachis]

Thanks for the tips, Anne! The blue cheese version sounds absolutely delightful! I'm definitely going to try that version once I get the basic down. I love blue cheese of any kind, but unfortunately most of my family doesn't share my passion for it. So I will make these for ME! HAHA!

[middydd]

I'll second the recommendation for this recipe. We've tried many recipes for Gougeres, but this is the tastiest and always gives good results.

[beetlebug]

Other people have stated that the cooked gougeres can be frozen and then reheated. Mine never last that long ;-)

As for cheese, I usually use the gruyere. But, looking at the above threads, it looks like other cheeses will also work well.

The great thing about the Zuni recipe is the depth of directions. Judy Rodgers describes what each step should look like. This was especially helpful when I was blending the eggs into the dough and how it would stiffen up and then loosen up. It took the uncertainity out of the way.

[tachis]

I pulled out the Zuni book and you're right--it's really detailed but not to the point that it's overwhelming, especially as a newbie. I'm going to make a quick run to Trader Joes for some gruyere in the morning and try my first batch in the afternoon!

I ended up Tivo-ing the Good Eats episode on this just by happenstance and watched it today. It was helpful in understanding the way the ingredients interact, but it seemed really complicated. Then when I read the Zuni version, it actually felt less intimidating. So we'll see how it goes! Wish me luck!

[beetlebug]

Good luck! Be aware that your shoulder may start to feel it while you are incorporating the eggs. Keep at it and it's worth the result.

mmmm, gougeres, cheesy goodness.

[random amblings]

For a large batch, I have used the KitchenAid for incorporating the eggs. Works like a charm!

[MMRuth]

I just watched Pepin on Chef's Story on PBS and he made pate a choux in a food processor - after "cooking" the flour/butter/milk mixture on the stove, he dumped it in the food processor, whizzed it around briefly to cool it off, then added all the eggs at once and processed. On Good Eats, AB used his Kitchen Aid. When you do that - do you add one egg at a time?

[ErikaZ]

Gale Gand just made a pate a choux on her show. It sounds much like the Pepin recipe - she cooked the dough on the stove, let it dry - holding it over heat for a minute or two and stirring - then dumped it in the KitchenAid and added the eggs one at a time.

[c oliver]

I'm planning on making these today and like the FP idea (I'm lazy and weak hands). I guess if it's good enough for Jacques, it should work for me. Thanks for sharing the tip.

[tachis]

The first batch just came out of the oven. Good Lord! How can anyone resist these?! It's taking every ounce of willpower for me not to devour the entire sheet right now.

I used the Zuni recipe and found it incredibly easy. The dough came together in minutes, though I'll admit it was a bit scary adding the eggs because it just didn't seem to want to absorb. I thought I had messed up, but then, it just magically worked. And boy were you right, beetlebug--with all the stirring, I thought my arm was going to explode!

To anyone considering making these--DO! So much easier than I thought it would be. And gosh durn tasty!

[beetlebug]

Yeah! So happy that you like them. So jealous that you are munching on them...

I may have to make a batch of these over T-day weekend.

[lynnlato]

YES! I am not a baker, but I've made these gougeres several times and never had a problem. This is a recipe I found in Saveur magazine 10+ years ago.

5T butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh blk pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1C flour
1C grated gruyere cheese
5 Lg. eggs, room temp (very important)

Preheat 425. Add butter, s&p, nutmeg and 1 cup water to med. saucepan & boil over med.high heat. When butter melts, reduce to low. Add flour all at once & cook over low heat, beating w/ wooden spoon -1 min. or until mix pulls away from sides of pan. Remove from heat.

Add cheese to pan and beat in w/ a wooden spoon until well mixed. Add 4 of the eggs, one at a time, beating each egg into the batter until thoroughly absorbed. Continue beating mix until it is smooth, shiny & firm.

Drop batter in small spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet to form the gougeres. Beat remaining egg w/ 1/2 T water and brush the tops w/ the egg wash.

Bake in upper third of oven for 15-20 mins. or until golden & doubled in size. Remove from oven serve hot or all to cool to room temp.

Makes 3 dozen.

Okay, now I'm totally craving these!

[Euonymous]

No recipe but some advice; do not use an insulated cookie sheet. They need a hot sheet to make them rise. The oven has to be very hot as well.

[kdcs]

I'm planning on making the same thing for Thanksgiving. I have a friend who highly recommends Terence Brennan's recipe (from Artisanal in New York), and I'm going to try it out. She says that you can make them in advance, freeze them, and reheat similar to the previous poster's method. You can find the recipe here.

http://www.freshdirect.com/recipe.jsp...

[MMRuth]

I've had them there and they are v. tasty!

[beetlebug]

The gougeres from the Zuni cookbook are also great. The directions in the book are very comprehensive. Here is a web link to the recipe as well as a COTM report:

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/cookbook/gougeres.html

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/35598...

[MMRuth]

Those look amazing - I think I need to add gougeres to my Thanksgiving menu!

[beetlebug]

These also tasted great without the fillings. I remember snacking on the mangled ones as I was assembling the little sandwiches. It was a gluttonous night.

[foxy fairy]

As part of Cookbook of the Month, I made the Silver Palate recipe for gougere. WOW. I couldn't believe how wonderfully they turned out -- delicious and beautiful, lovely airy texture. I can paraphrase their recipe if you want -- it's easy-peasy. I brushed the tops with an egg as they suggested for that pretty golden color.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd...

[eriberri]

It would be great if you could paraphrase the recipe please! I'd love to make these over the holidays. Thanks! Great picture.

[foxy fairy]

Thanks for the compliment, eriberri. They are certainly **snazzy**

I'll give you the instructions for double the batch I made - because you'll need at least that many for a holiday gathering. This should yield about 32 puffs, depnding on how you size them.

Preheat oven to 375.

In a saucepan, heat 2 cups milk, 2 sticks unsalted butter, and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and add 2 cups sifted unbleached flour all at once. For a few minutes, whisk exuberantly, then put the pan back on medium heat, stirring nonstop. You're waiting for the batter to thicken and pull away from the sides of the pan -- this should take five minutes max.

Take the pan off the heat again and mix in eight eggs, one by one. Be sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. Then stir in 3 cups of grated cheese - Parmesan or half Parm, half Gruyere.

Set a tablespoon of batter on a buttered baking sheet. That's your first puff! Continue setting out the puffs, leaving at least an inch between puffs.

Beat one more egg in a bowl, and brush the top of each puff with the beaten egg. Grate one more cup of cheese and dust some more grated cheese atop each puff.

Put sheets in the oven, on the center rack, and immediately reset oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 15 to 20 mins. When your gougeres are golden and gorgeous, and puffy, they're ready! Try to resist eating them all yourself! ;)

*Be sure to sift the flour. I think the texture on my puffs was perfect, partly because I took the time to sift. No lumps!*

[MMRuth]

I would add - and foxy fairy correct me if I'm wrong (my experience is based on another recipe) - that every time you add an egg, the dough will look like a mess and you'll have to work hard to incorporate it.

[foxy fairy]

I don't remember that. Hmmm. Maybe it is the recipe. I was actually truly shocked that these were nearly effortless to put together. :)

[cuccubear]

I have been experimenting with gougeres for a couple of weeks now, making the ones featured in this CHOW recipe...

http://www.chow.com/recipes/14278

and I found the same thing with the dough. With each egg addition the dough becomes slimy and divided, looking kind of like gnocchi, until incorporated.

[Maxmillion]

You have omitted a few essential steps.

Let the batter chill for at least 30 mins before baking.

Do not open the oven while cooking.

Crack open the oven door once they've fully cooked and let them cool for at least 5 mins before removing the gougeres.

Serve immediately.

[MMRuth]

FWIW - the JC recipe I use doesn't call for chilling the batter.

There was an Alton Brown episode on FN last night about making pate a choux, btw.

[foxy fairy]

Max-- I wrote the recipe exactly as I followed it, no chilling involvd, and I definitely didn't chill the batter. They were scrumptious, puffy, golden, airy, light, so I'd say it's definitely not needed, at least for this recipe. :) I didn't cool in the oven either.

[ChefJune]

I've never chilled them before baking.

I sometimes make them up and bake them a couple days ahead, and hold in an airtight tin. Just before service, I put them in a brown paper bag and reheat in a 250 oven for around 10-12 minutes .

[chef chicklet]

wow, I know I'm late in this but these are going to be on my table too. Is it possible to repost your photo or too late?
These sound scrumptious!

[leanneabe]

This is the recipe I've used before and they turn out crisp puffs with soft insides. They get gobbled up very quickly.
http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipe...

[bxgirl]

Leanneabe,
Can these be fully cooked and then frozen? Do you think they would lose some of the crispness if I freeze them?

[leanneabe]

I don't see why not... I've never had to freeze them ahead of time. I would heat them up in an oven, 300 or 350, to warm them and recrisp before serving.

[MMRuth]

Do you have Julia Child's The Way to Cook? That's the recipe that I always use. Sounds like maybe they weren't baked long enough last time? They freeze and reheat beautifully, so you could try a batch ahead of time. Another poster also posted sucess on the Silver Palate COM thread about their gougere recipe.

[Tom P]

Thanks as always for the help, MMRuth...stupid question...so you bake them fully before you freeze them? Or just under bake?

[MMRuth]

Bake them fully before you freeze them. Then heat up in the oven straight from the freezer - I think at about 350 - can't remember how long it takes.

[dalaimama]

I have a recipe from Maria Helm Sinskey that always turns out perfectly and she said to freeze before baking, which also worked out great. Then you put them straight into the oven from the freezer.

The easiest way to freeze them is pipe them out onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and then put the whole pan in the freezer. After they are frozen, use a spatula to get them off the pan and just pop them into a zipper bag and store in the freezer that way.