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Gougères are French-style cheese puffs filled with a variety of ingredients, with cheese being the most popular. They are made using choux pastry dough and can be served as a simple dessert or at parties. Making them from scratch is recommended for superior taste.
Those who love cream puffs will surely find gougères tasty. Like a French-style cheese puff, gougères are usually filled with a variety of ingredients. Here is some information on how gougères are made, as well as some examples of different types of cheese fillers used.
The key to making gougères lies in the type of dough that is created and how the dough ingredients are blended. Water, butter, salt and eggs are combined with choux flour to produce what is commonly referred to as choux pastry. This is the same type of dough used in cream puff recipes. The addition of the ingredients is very important in producing the right texture for the dough. To make puff pastry, you need to add the eggs one at a time and mix each egg thoroughly into the dough before adding another egg. Gradually introducing the eggs into the dough helps ensure even distribution and will create an even rise when the puffs are baked.
By far the most popular filler for gougères is cheese. Gruyere cheese that has been finely shredded is considered the traditional filler. However, you can use any type of cheese you like. Thus, gougères can be filled with sharp cheddar cheese, goat cheese blends, or a selection of white cheeses. The combinations of different types of cheeses will also create interesting variations in the taste of the cream puff.
While there are prepared mixes that include all the necessary ingredients other than eggs and fresh water, it’s generally believed that making gougères from scratch will provide superior taste to any box mix. Likewise, while you can use packaged grated cheese for the filler, many people recommend purchasing block cheese and grating it just before introducing it into the pasta mixture. The idea behind this is that packets of shredded cheese may be slightly drier and lack the level of flavor that freshly shredded cheese brings to the recipe.
Gougères are excellent to use at parties, as well as a simple accompaniment to coffee or afternoon tea. For people who wish to avoid sugar, they can serve as a simple dessert, served with a dollop of fruit preserves on the side. While making gougères from scratch can be a time- and labor-intensive endeavor, the end result is well worth the time and effort.
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