Only four seasons in, and just before its cast is about to dismantle, I’ve gotten really into the Great British Baking Show (all thanks to my aunt / visiting week-one post-surgery full-time nurse). I love the show for a couple of reasons. First, because compared to its reality TV peers, the people on the show are all so nice and everyone is downright supportive. Even Paul Hollywood, who is the closest the show has to a villain, can’t say something truly mean. But I also like the show because, in its very British way, it’s focused on technique and tradition, in stark contrast to American cooking competition shows that value throwing wild stuff in a pan and showing the judges how you can use gummy bears as a glaze for pork chops.
I’ve actually been learning quite a lot by watching it, because these bakers have an incredible repertoire. It becomes more and more obvious that many of the crazy confections we know and love all derive from the same classic French bases. A lot of them I’m not that familiar with or haven’t made before (the idea of making puff pastry from scratch makes me a little cross-eyed), but one that comes up again and again is pâte à choux.
You’ll recognize pâte à choux as the dough that makes delicious favorites like cream puffs and éclairs. It’s an eggy dough (eggs, flour, milk) that’s cooked on a stovetop while you beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon. Does this sound fun yet? I always dread making it because I need to stand on a small stepping stool to get the right height above the saucepan and it does make your stirring arm sore. But once I’m done flogging the dough into submission, which only takes a couple of minutes, I’m always pleased that I did. The result is a dough that’s fairly wet (it’s really more of a paste than a dough) and can be scraped into a piping bag and will later rise into creations that are light, airy and ready to be filled with things like pastry cream and chocolate.
But pâte à choux also has all kinds of savory implications, my favorite being gougères. Gougères are typically round balls of puffed pâte à choux, but with cheese stirred into the dough. They’re delicious and addictive. This recipe is a spin on that classic, but with the cheesy dough roughly patted into a medium circle on a baking sheet, topped with thick slices of goat cheese and fresh herbs (straight from the balcony garden!) and brushed with a little olive oil. After a bit of time in the oven, the round puffs up, and the dough and goat cheese turn a gorgeous golden color. It can be cut into 6-8 slices and is an impressive appetizer for a summer party, or a great accompaniment to a simple French salad for a light lunch or dinner.
This is another recipe I’ve made three times – because I absolutely love it, but also because I always want to share it here but always manage to eat it before I take photos of it. It’s that good. This time I finally did manage to snag a few pictures, but that won’t stop me from making this again! Bon appétit!
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 250ml water
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup / 100g butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup / 125g flour
- 4 to 5 eggs
- 4oz. / 100g Gruyère cheese
- 1 tablespoon mixed fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary and parsley
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 5 oz. / 140g total goat cheese, cut into 6 thick slices
- Olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a baking sheet.
- To make the pâte à choux combine the water, salt an butter in a large saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted. Meanwhile, sift the flour onto a piece of parchment paper. Bring the butter mixture just to a boil (prolonged boiling evaporates the water and changes the proportion of the dough). Take from the heat and immediately add all the flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the mixture pulls away from the pan sides to form a ball. Beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute over low heat to dry the dough.
- Beat 1 egg until mixed and set aside. Beat the remaining eggs into the dough, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Beat in enough of the reserved egg so the dough is shiny and just falls from the spoon. If too much egg is added, the dough will be too soft and not hold its shape. Last, mix in the Gruyère. Rub the top of the dough with butter to prevent a skin from forming, and set aside until cool. (Pâte à choux may be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours before using).
- Using the back of a spoon, spread the dough in a 10-inch round on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with the fresh herbs and chopped garlic clove. Top the herbs evenly with the 6 slices of goat cheese, Brush the cheese rounds with olive oil.
- Bake the gougère until the dough is crusty and brown and the goat cheese is toasted, 45 to 50 minutes. The gougère will puff, then deflate slightly as it cools. Serve warm, cut into wedges for 6.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2017/07/17/flat-goat-cheese-gougere-gougere-plat-au-fromage-de-chevre/
