Gougere (French Cheesy Puffs)

I had these at Jacques Reymond, the only restaurant in Melbourne which has constantly maintained a three Chef Hats standard with The Age Good Food Guide. We were celebrating a birthday, and at the time, I had no clue what they were. Instead of the usual bread rolls as appetizers, we were served these golden 'puffs'. Warm out of the oven, it was salty, cheesy and yet light and puffy.Went down really well with a glass of champagne.


I was given a cookbook recently called 'I Know How To Cook' by Ginette Mathiot. A close friend of mine gave it to me for a birthday present and it really made my day. It is the bestselling cookbook in France for the last 3 generations and was recently translated into English.This dictionary of a cookbook gave me an 'A-Ha' moment when I saw the recipe and picture. Now I know that they are called Gougeres (Please don't ask me how to pronounce it!).

It is basically a Choux (pronounced as 'Shoe' I think) Pastry with added cheese (and minus the sugar). Choux pastry is something I'm familiar with because of my sweet tooth. Eclairs and cream puffs are made with Choux Pastry. It is the water in the batter that makes it puff and creates a hollow space inside. Great to fill with custard or cream.

But with a gougere, it is eaten as is. No fillings or toppings.

Gougere Recipe
Serves six (you can half the recipe if you want a smaller quantity)

125g gruyere cheese grated
100g butter
1 tsp salt
120g flour
4 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Grease a baking tray with butter.
In a large pan, gently heat 120ml of water, add butter and salt until butter has melted. Quickly add the flour and cheese all at once, and beat with a wooden spoon until the dough comes of the sides. Make sure the heat is on low to medium. Remove from heat. Gradually beat in the eggs until the dough is smooth and glossy.

Spoon egg-sized pieces of pastry on the tray. Turn the oven temp down to 200 degrees. Bake for 20mins until well risen and golden. Serve warm out of the oven.