Name: Gougères recipe: French cheese puffs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 250 ml water; 75 g butter; 150 g flour; 4 eggs; 75 g grated cheese; salt

The first time I tasted gougères was when I visited my husband's family in the French countryside of the Burgundy region. It was late afternoon in August, and we sat on the shady patio, taking the apéro.

I simply love this time of the day when you sit together with family or friends, share a drink, chat, enjoy some local food, and let the day wind out. It was then that the aunt served us a plate of delicious, oven-warm gougères. They were so soft and savory, that they became instantly my favorite food for the apéritif in France.

As I learned, later on, gougères are a popular apéritif from the French region of Burgundy, but they are eaten all over France. They are little puff pastries, typically made with Gruyère cheese, but you find them also with Comté or even Emmentaler. They are often served with a Kir, the traditional apéritif in the Burgundy region, which consists of regional white wine with a splash of blackcurrant liquor.

Gougères are easy to make. You basically need 5 ingredients: water, butter, flour, eggs, and cheese. The traditional recipe uses Gruyère cheese, but you can try any cheese you like - I often use Comte or even Emmentaler.

Directions

Boil the water, butter, and salt together in a casserole dish until the butter is completely melted.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the flour at once. Mix with a spatula until a homogeneous paste forms.

Put the mixture back on the heat until the paste easily detaches from the casserole dish.

Remove from the heat and let it cool down a little.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.

Mix in the cheese.

Form little balls using two teaspoons and place them on a baking tray.

Bake for 25 minutes or until they are puffy and golden.