Gougere Secrets

[lattelover]

I would like to make some gougeres for a cocktail party, but have some questions..

Can I make the gougeres and freeze them unbaked without hurting the final result? If so, how long shoukd they be baked?

Can I freeze them baked and then reheat before serving? Should I let them defrost before reheating?

Has anyone tried to stuff gougeres with bechamel? If so, how did you do it?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

[Doreen]

I have made them, baked and then frozen them and they were fine. Just defrost in frig and put in 300 oven to warm.

[lattelover]

Thanks for the thread. I did a search but nothing came up. Im glad they can be reheated. Its a big time saver.

I am thinking of making mini eclairs out of this dough and filling them last minute with cheesy bechamel or maybe a bit of alfredo sauce.

[JoanN]

Filling gougeres with a creamy bechamel sounds like gilding the lily to me. If your gougeres have plenty of cheese in the dough, more cheese would be, imho, superfluous. Also, both alfredo and bechamel are usually comparatively thin sauces. I would think gougeres filled with either would be a bit of a mess to eat. If you want to serve a filled gougeres, you might take a look at the recipe for the New Year's Eve Gougeres from the Zuni Cafe cookbook. Great, great, recipe.

http://leitesculinaria.com/968/recipe...

[JoanN]

It isn't necessary to thaw them first. I put mine directly from the freezer into a preheated 425 F. oven and bake them for 3 to 4 minutes. Perfecto.

[wyogal]

Did you read any of this thread?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/283726