My Newest Gougères

Makes about 55 small gougères or about 35 larger ones

Gougères are French cheese puffs made with a classic dough called pâte à choux (the dough used for cream puffs), and it’s a testament to their goodness that I’m still crazy about them after all these years and after all the thousands — truly, thousands of them — that I’ve baked. Twenty or so years ago, I decided that gougères would be the nibble I’d have ready for guests when they visited. Regulars chez moi have come to expect them.

Since then, I’ve made minor adjustments to the basic technique and more numerous, but equally minor, tweaks to the ingredients. I’ve flirted with different cheeses, among them Mimolette, smoked Gouda and a French sheep’s-milk cheese called Napoleon. I’ve added pepper — black, red and Turkish. I’ve snuck in a few different spices, and once, when I had a black truffle, some shavings. The recipe is welcoming.

This version, one of my current favorites, has a structural tweak: Instead of the usual 5 eggs in the dough, I use 4 plus a white — it makes the puffs just a tad sturdier. In addition, I’ve downsized the puffs, shaping them with a small cookie scoop. And I’ve added Dijon mustard to the mix for zip, and a surprise — walnuts. These changes are small, but gougère lovers will pick up on them immediately.

Working Ahead

My secret to being able to serve guests gougères on short notice is to keep the scooped puffs in the freezer, ready to bake. Scoop the puffs and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or cutting board until firm, then pack them airtight. You can bake them straight from the freezer; just give them a couple more minutes of heat.

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Bring the milk, water, butter and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat and immediately start stirring energetically with a heavy spoon or whisk. The dough will form a ball and there’ll be a light film on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for another 2 minutes or so to dry the dough: Dry dough will make puffy puffs.

Turn the dough out into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and elbow grease). Let the dough sit for a minute, then add the eggs one by one, followed by the white, beating until each one is incorporated before adding the next. The dough may look as though it’s separating or falling apart — just keep going, and by the time the white goes in, the dough will be beautiful. Beat in the mustard, followed by the cheese and walnuts. Give the dough a last mix-through by hand.

Scoop or spoon out the dough, using a small cookie scoop (1½ teaspoons). Or, if you’d like larger puffs, shape them with a medium cookie scoop or a tablespoon and drop the dough onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds. (The scooped dough can be frozen on the baking sheets.)

Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are puffed, golden and firm enough to pick up, another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately — these are best directly from the oven.

 

Storing: Although the puffs are best served hot out of the oven, they are still nice (if flatter) at room temperature that same day. If you want to keep baked puffs longer, freeze them and then reheat them in a 350-degree-F oven for a few minutes.