Comfort Food

I decided to share a recipe
that's comfort food at My Petite Maison
for St. Patrick's Day (no not Irish, but still delicious!)

A gougère is one of my favorites. A savory choux pastry made with a nutty flavored gruyere cheese. Gougères are delicious and so easy to make. I opened a catalog and found 60 pre-made gougères offered for $55.00 ~ This didn't sit well, as I know how easy they are to make and wanted to share the recipe.

Please try the recipe if you like something tasty, savory and it warms the heart to make them yourself and serve them to your family.

Here's the recipe I'm making tonight - yum and we can all use the extra cash for something other than pre-made food that should be made fresh (in my opinion ;)

It is said that gougères were a favorite of Coco Chanel. Just a few won't do any harm, but it will be hard to stop munching with this wonderful hors d'oeuvre. Here's the recipe, I hope you enjoy... let me know if you give it a try!

1 cup milk
1 stick butter
Pinch of white pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup flour
3 extra-large organic eggs
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese (Cave Aged is the best in my book)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Parmesano Reggiano)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Put milk, butter, salt, pepper & nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat until it scalds. Next, add flour and stir very quickly with wooden spoon until the mixture comes together (like a ball). Keep cooking, while quickly stirring for approximately one to two minutes. Once the mixture starts to coat the pan (it will look floury), take off heat and add in egg mixture, stirring very quickly as not to let the egg mixure scramble and enable it to combine with the flour mixture. Next add the cheese and stir until completely mixed. This is going to take a real work out for your arms, but it is well worth it!

If you choose to add the mixture to a food processor (and cheat ;), that's fine too - just start with the food processor at the mixing the eggs portion above.

Once mixture is complete, use a tablespoon to make little rounds about 1 inch in diameter and add to baking sheet, if you have a Silpat sheet that will work wonderfully on top a cookie sheet.

If you chose, you may use an egg wash to finish off puffs, but I don't use this method.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes (watch the bottoms). They should be golden brown.

Hope you enjoy this with your favorite glass of wine or perhaps a glass of Champagne, sparkling wine or apple cider.

As Julia Child would say Bon Appétit!