Alain Ducasse's Gougères

NOTE: The photo above is how the dish turned out in the My Last Supper kitchen, and may look different than as envisioned by the original chef.

NOTE: The photo above is how the dish turned out in the My Last Supper kitchen, and may look different than as envisioned by the original chef.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 28 Gougères

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

  • Large pinch of coarse salt

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 4 large eggs

  • 3 1/2 ounces Gruyère cheese (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • Freshly grated nutmeg

 

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil.  Add the flour 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 two minutes.

  • Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool for one minute.  Beat the eggs into the dough, one at a time, beating thoroughly between each one.  Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.

  • Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheet, two inches apart.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.  Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze.  Reheat in a 350ºF oven until piping hot.

  • Notes from the Chef: when making the choux pastry, it is important to be sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next.  Don’t worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first.  Keep beating, and it will come together nicely.

Melanie Dunea