Walnut-Mustard Gougères
These walnut-mustard gougères from award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan add elegance and flavor to any menu.
Walnut-Mustard Gougères
Photo Credit : Mark Weinberg; styling by Maggie Ruggiero (food) & Caroline Woodward (props)Gougères are French cheese puffs based on a classic dough called pâté à choux—the same dough that’s used for cream puffs. These walnut-mustard gougères from award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan add elegance and flavor to any menu.
From “The Sweet Life: Holiday Baking with Dorie Greenspan,” November/December 2019
Yield:
about 60 gougèresIngredients
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
1 ¼ teaspoons table salt
1 cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg white, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cups (170 grams) coarsely grated cheese, such as Comté, Gruyère, or sharp cheddar
2⁄3 cup (80 grams) walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and chopped
Instructions
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 425°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat, and begin stirring briskly with a heavy spoon. 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 means puffier puffs).
Transfer the dough to the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or work by hand with a wooden spoon and elbow grease). Let the dough sit for a minute before adding the eggs, one by one, and then the white, beating to incorporate each before adding the next. The dough may look as though it’s separating, but just keep working. Beat in the mustard, followed by the cheese and the walnuts. Give the dough a last mix-through by hand.
Scoop out the dough with a small cookie scoop. (If you’d like to make larger puffs, use a tablespoon or medium-size cookie scoop.) Drop the dough balls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets.
Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°.
Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the baking 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. (If you want to keep baked puffs, freeze them and then reheat them in a 350° oven for a few minutes.)
