Light, crisp cheese puffs made from choux pastry and grated cheese, served warm with a glass of wine. A Burgundy apéritif that takes about an hour, made with Canadian all-purpose flour and Gruyère or aged Oka.
Gougères are surprisingly easy to make. They look like pastry-shop work, but all it takes is a saucepan, a wooden spoon and a grater, and they're great to put out for an apéro, warm, with a glass of wine before dinner.
Here the cheese is what changes the taste most. A wedge of Swiss Gruyère gives the nutty, toasted flavour of Burgundy, while aged Oka is milder and makes a softer puff, so with Oka I'd add an extra pinch of pepper and nutmeg.
Gougères are the Burgundy apéritif: small choux puffs with cheese beaten into the dough, hollow and airy inside, crisp and golden outside, tasting of toasted cheese. Few guests here will have had one.
Which cheese to beat into the dough
Burgundy uses Comté or Gruyère, a firm, nutty cheese that stays dry in the oven, and a small wedge of Swiss Gruyère is exactly what this recipe needs. For a cheaper batch, Oka Aged works, with moister, paler puffs. Avoid anything that releases fat in the oven.
Too much egg: the dough is too loose, so the puffs spread and never rise. That's why the last egg goes in a little at a time.
Underbaked: pale puffs are still wet inside and sink as they cool. Colour is the cue, not the timer.
Making it in Canada
The 2 French ingredients, and what to buy for them in Canada.
Comté ou gruyère→Swiss Gruyère wedge (Emmi, 150 g) or Oka Aged
A firm, nutty cheese stays dry in the oven and has enough flavour to season 30 puffs from 125 g. Oka Aged is the cheaper option: it's moister, so the puffs are a little softer inside and paler; trim the rind and grate it cold. Cheddar works but gives a sharper, cheese-scone taste; if you use it, choose an old, dry one.
🛒 Emmi Swiss Gruyère (150 g) at Walmart is exactly the amount this recipe uses; Metro lists Swiss Gruyère at its deli cheese counter. Président Comté Le Montarlier (340 g) is at Walmart. Oka Aged comes in 190 g wedges at Walmart and on Voilà.
French choux is usually made with T55, at about 9.5–11% protein. Canadian all-purpose is about 13% (4 g per 30 g on the Robin Hood and Five Roses labels), so the dough is stronger and puffs well. It can take a little more or less egg than a French recipe says, so judge the last egg by the ribbon, not the count.
🛒 Robin Hood All Purpose is at Walmart and on Voilà, and Super C carries the unbleached version. Five Roses All Purpose is at Super C, Voilà and Walmart.
Good to know: One 150 g pack of Emmi Swiss Gruyère covers the whole batch, tops included. With Oka Aged, one 190 g wedge does it once the rind is trimmed.
Ready to cook?
Gougères
Light, crisp cheese puffs made from choux pastry and grated cheese, served warm with a glass of wine. A Burgundy apéritif that takes about an hour, made with Canadian all-purpose flour and Gruyère or aged Oka.
Prep time
20 min
Cook time
35 min
Total time
55 min
Servings
8
Ingredients
Original recipe: 8 servings.
Instructions
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Boil the liquid. In a saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter and salt to a boil, until the butter has melted.
Add the flour. Take the pan off the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir hard with a wooden spoon until smooth, then return to medium heat and stir 1–2 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the pan and leaves a thin film on the bottom.
Add the eggs. Transfer to a bowl and let cool 3 minutes. Beat in 3 eggs one at a time, until each is absorbed. Beat the fourth egg in a cup and add it a little at a time, stopping when the dough is glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon.
Add the cheese. Stir in 125 g of the cheese, the nutmeg and pepper.
Pipe. Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a plain round tip about 1.5 cm wide, or a freezer bag with a 1.5 cm corner cut off. Pipe walnut-sized mounds 3 cm apart. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake. Bake both sheets without opening the oven for the first 18 minutes. Then swap the sheets between racks, quickly, and bake 7–10 minutes more, until puffed, deep golden and light when you lift one. Serve warm.
