If you want to whip up a quick appetizer (amuse bouche!), gougères are really faster and simpler than you would believe especially since they essentially the same as those intimidating éclairs and profiteroles.
GOUGERES
(This recipe adapted from the captivating French Food at Home) wherein many delights.
- 1/3 cp. plus 1 TB unsalted butter
- ½ tsp. salt and pepper
- 1 cp. all purpose flour
- 3 eggs (large)
- ½ cp. Gruyère (or swiss, or any kind you like) cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 375. Put the butter in a heavy saucepan with
1 cp. water and salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and take off the heat. Add the flour all at once and beat until smooth with a
wooden spoon. The mixture will
pull away from the sides of the pan and form a ball. Put the pan back on low heat and beat for a minute or so to
dry the paste somewhat. Remove
from the heat and let cool about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time,
beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition (It will just make clumps at first, but
eventually will become smooth.)
What you want is a smooth, soft, glossy paste that falls easily from the
spoon. Stir in the cheese. Drop the mixture by spoonfuls onto a
buttered baking sheet (or definitely use parchment paper if you have it.) Brush with some milk. Bake until puffed
up and nicely browned, about 20 min.
(But check after 10 to make sure they’re not browning too quickly.) Put on a plate and eat soon (not a problem.)
COMPOTE (OK - you might want to have cookies or ice cream on the side - but try it straight too.)
- 1 cp. dried apples
- 1 cp. dried apricots
- 1 cp. dried prunes
- really any other dried fruit that you like
- water to cover
- 1/4 cp. white wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cp. sugar
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