You'll need: 1.25 cups lowfat milk, 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes), 1 tsp salt, 1 cup flour, 5 large eggs (room temperature), 3/4 cup gruyere or jack cheese (shredded), 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped), 1 addt'l large egg at room temperature (cracked and beaten in a small bowl), 1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese.
Curious? Click here: What are Gougeres?
How to make: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper (both small sheets should fit on one rack of oven). In medium saucepan on medium flame, combine milk, butter and salt (stirring occasionally) until mixture is incorporated and comes to a boil. With a quarter of a cup of flour at a time, whisk flour into butter/milk mixture on stove top. Mixture will become smooth and start to pull away from sides of pan. Remove mixture from stovetop and transfer it to a mixing bowl. With paddle attachment, turn mixer to medium high speed and add 1 egg at a time (each egg should incorporate well before adding another). Fold in the rosemary, black pepper and cheese. Using a 1" melon baller, scoop the mixture onto the lined cookie sheets, about 2" apart from one another. Try to fit 12 on each sheet. Brush the tops of each pastry with a bit of egg wash (use basting brush to dab egg wash onto tops). Sprinkle a pinch of parmesan cheese onto the top of each pastry. Place in oven for 30-35 minutes (until just lightly browned). They should puff up into beautiful little round pastries. Enjoy!
I've had the pleasure of learning some French recipes and cooking techniques from my friend, Martha Culbertson. She taught me how to make Gougeres recently. I've modified the recipe slightly to fit my particular kitchen descriptors and taste buds, and I call them "cheese puffs". Also, I use fresh rosemary from my garden, instead of thyme and I add parmesan cheese to the tops of my cheese puffs; I used jack cheese because that's what I had in the refrigerator. If you have fresh herbs that differ from what we use here - use whatever you have that is fresh! Also, if you don't have gruyere or jack cheese on hand, use what you have. Note, if you do not have fresh herbs, then use 1/3rd the amount of dried herbs (it's a 1:3 ratio). In this case, you'd use 1 tsp of dried herbs (Instead of the 1 Tbsp fresh herbs). "Cook Out Loud" - Danielle
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