G and I have spa days and drink the waters. Basically, we’re having drinks and nibbles at an Island establishment every month or so. We like making things special and we’ll go hither and yon to find new experiences. We’ve been together a long time and you need to keep having new adventures or things go stale. We were lucky enough to enjoy the gougeres at Prima Bistro recently. I’m now a fan, so I needed a recipe.
If you want to get technical, we’re talking cream puffs with Gruyere cheese. They’re light and very satisfying. If you love cream puffs, you will love these even more. The flavor of the Gruyere raises these to a whole new level. Now picture your Martini in one hand and a gougeres in the other. Life is good.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 stick (4 ounces) 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 (I’m not a nutmeg fan, so you will have to decide)
Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once 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 cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.
Mound the batter onto the baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. This makes approximately a dozen.
* From the Recipe Box:
I like Alain Ducasse’s recipe. Picture a 5 star recipe with almost 5K reviews.
If you’re good with a piping bag, give it a try. I’m not so hot, no hand strength.
I’d rather make approximately 18 per batch but still bake the same amount of time. I like them a tad smaller and a bit firmer. It’s all about holding the Martini.
and remember one of the best lines from the Princess Bride: Who said life is fair; where is that written? Big kiss, Lynn
From the Recipe Box 