France is celebrated for its refined cuisine. Milwaukeean Odile Bengana grew up on a farm in the French region of Burgundy and for her, the heart of France can be found in the castles, vineyards, and fields that she fondly recalls from childhood.
“I really love the countryside,” says Bengana.
Another fond memory is of family dinners cooked with meat and vegetables from the farm. Shepherd's pie was often enjoyed. Gougéres were another family favorite. These crispy and buttery bite-sized pastries, enhanced with cheese, are a specialty of Burgundy.
“When we were preparing this, that meant that we had guests coming. So, it was always a fun time,” says Bengana.
Her recipe for gougéres uses only a handful of ingredients and is simple to prepare. Water, salt, and butter are brought to a gentle boil. Off heat, flour is vigorously mixed in until the dough forms a soft ball.
Next, the dough is cooled to room temperature before eggs are mixed in—the recipe calls for at least three large eggs. More may be needed, depending on their size. Farm eggs tend to be slightly bigger than those found in stores. After adding all three eggs, check the consistency. The texture should be like creamy mashed potatoes. If it’s drier than this then add additional eggs, one by one, until the correct consistency is achieved. You want a soft and smooth dough that holds its shape when formed into individual balls of dough. With the last egg, shredded cheese is mixed into the dough. Some recipes call for sprinkling the cheese on top but Bengaga discourages this.
“I’ve eaten that kind of gougéres and I don’t like it, because the cheese is kind of burnt and I don’t like that taste,” says Bengana.
Finally, one-inch balls are formed from the dough. This results in 40 balls of dough. They’re baked at 350° in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes. You’ll know the gougéres are done when they’re golden in color. The distinctive savory aroma of buttery pastry with toasty, nutty cheese will fill the kitchen.
Gougéres should be enjoyed warm. Serve immediately with your favorite wine.
“We typically have that with a nice white wine. Most of the time it’s a Burgundy because that’s where I’m from,” says Bengana.
Gruyere cheese is delicious in this recipe, but cheddar also works well. This illustrates the recipe’s versatility. If you’re in the mood for a sweet bite, Bengana recommends omitting the cheese and salt, and then filling the baked dough with your favorite ice cream before covering in melted chocolate.
Gougéres
Ingredients
250 ml of water
90 g of butter
Pinch of salt
150 d of flour
4 eggs
50 g of shredded cheese (gruyere preferably)
Preparation
In a saucepan, add butter and salt to the water. Bring to a gentle boil. Take off heat. Add the flour, and mix vigorously until a ball is formed. Let the dough cool to room temperature.
Once the dough has cooled, add eggs one at a time. Mix each egg into the dough before adding the next one. Depending on the size of the eggs, 3 could be enough. But if the dough seems dry then add additional eggs, one at a time, until the ball of dough is soft and smooth, but holds its shape. The dough needs to be firm.
Form one-inch balls from the dough. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350° until golden. This will take about 25 minutes.
You can enjoy warm or cold, but Bengana prefers to serve them warm.
Serving: Makes 40. Plan on 4 to 5 per person.
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