Gougeres

By Debbye

Pronounced goo ZHEHR - cheesy, two bite savory cream puffs that are the hottest thig in appetizers this season. They're light, attractive ad easy.
Best served warm. Terrific with wine or champagne.
You can serve them freshly baked or make the in advance, freeze up to a month, then reheat them directly from the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese divided
• 2 tsps Dijon mustard or 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Details

Servings 36

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the butter water and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until the butter has melted. Bring mixture to a boil, the remove pan from the heat. Add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a mass. Return the pan to the stove and, over medium heat contiue to beat the dough for another minute until a thin film appears on the bottom of the pan. Scrape the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 1 minute to cool it a bit. Before adding the beaten eggs, reserve about 1 Tablespoon for the glaze. Add the eggs in four increments letting each addition be absorbed completely into the dough before adding the next. The mixture may look sloppy, but will come together in a very thick batter.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment about 1 inch apart, or use a pastry bag to pipe 1 inch mounds onto the baking sheet. Using your fingertip or pastry brush, lightly coat the top of each puff with some of the reserved egg.
Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer until they are golden brown. Immediately top each gougere with a few strands of the reserved cheese. Return the pans to the oven to set the cheese; it should take less than a minute. Serve warm.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Gougeres can be baked, then forzen in plastic freezer bags for up to a month. When you're ready to reheat place them forzen on the bakig sheets at 325 degrees for 5 minutes.