This is the most popular recipe for these savoury choux, often served as an apéritif with drinks. The fact that they can be served plain, very much like you would a chouquette, or filled with any manner of creams and sauces, makes them an incredibly versatile amuse-bouche, perfect for any occasion, from the most formal wedding function to a casual family picnic.
These béchamel-filled gougères are the most popular and classically French version but, of course, feel free to add your own personal touches by swapping nutmeg for cardamom or dried herbs, or adding mushrooms cooked with garlic and parsley to the béchamel.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- pinch of salt
- 1 lb 10 oz (750 g) Choux Pastry
- 7 oz (200 g) gruyere cheese, finely grated
Gruyere bechamel
- 35 fl oz (1 litre) full-cream milk
- 4¼ oz (120 g) unsalted butter
- 2¾ oz (80 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3½ oz (100 g) gruyere cheese, grated
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- fine salt, to taste
How to Make It
- To make the gruyère béchamel, put the milk in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside. Put the butter in a medium heavy-based saucepan and cook over low heat until melted. Add the flour and begin stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken. This butter and flour paste is called a roux and is used to thicken sauces, stocks or soups. Cook the roux for 2 minutes, stirring continuously and never allowing it to brown. Swap the spoon for a whisk, then, whisking continuously, add half the hot milk, a little at a time and waiting for each addition to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Increase the heat to medium and continue adding the remaining milk, a little at a time.
- Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and continue whisking for another minute. Add the 100 g (3½ oz) gruyère, the nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste, and combine well. Pour the béchamel sauce into a shallow container, cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease two large baking trays, then line with baking paper. The paper will stick to the oil on the trays, making it much easier for you to pipe the sticky choux paste. To make an egg wash, put the eggs and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and lightly beat with a fork until well combined, then set aside.
- Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) plain nozzle. Pipe 4 cm (1½ in) rounds onto the lined trays, spacing them about 5 cm (2 in) apart. Brush the egg wash over the top of each round, then use a fork to make a crosshatched pattern on the top of each one. Sprinkle the finely grated gruyère over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170°C (340°F) and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Using the tip of a paring knife or a skewer, make a small hole in the bottom of each puff.
- When you are ready to serve, use an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whisk the cold béchamel on low speed until smooth. Spoon the béchamel into a piping bag fitted with a 4 mm (1/8 in) plain nozzle and fill each puff with the béchamel. Gougères are best eaten the day they are made, although unfilled puffs can be stored in an airtight container for a few hours until you are ready to fill them.
