Now’s the perfect time to rekindle your passion for cooking, but let’s do it the French way, shall we? We're sharing with you 5 classic French dishes that vegetarians can indulge in, to bring home a little bit of France. Let's start with Gougères, French cheese appetisers. So put on those aprons, and get ready to say “Miam Miam”!
Gougères are miniature cheese puffs that are light and hollow. Crispy on the outside and soft from the inside, gougères are traditional appetisers that go really well with sparkling wines and Pinot Noirs.
© Food & Wine Magazine Photo by Krause Johansen
INGREDIENTS
Makes 28 Gougères
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- Large pinch of coarse salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 3 1/2 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling
- Freshly ground pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
PROCEDURE
- Preheat the oven to 204°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; stir over low heat until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape the dough into a bowl; let it cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, one at a time. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, or let it cool and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat in a 176.6°C oven until piping hot.
Source of the recipe: By Alain Ducassse on Food and Wine. (External link)