Homes & Lifestyles
Recipe
Holiday Gougères
These savory French cheese pastries bring together the flavors of the season in bright, savory bites Recipe and photo by Shaylan Owen
Ingredients: 1 2/3 cups Gruyère cheese, grated 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon 5 eggs at room temperature 1 egg white at room temperature 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, ground 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (not onion salt) 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground Zest of one lemon
66 • Homes & Lifestyles of South-Central Indiana • December 2017
Instructions:
Note: Prepare all the ingredients in advance—the process moves quickly once started. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with the racks evenly spaced in the center, and prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sift together the mustard, black pepper, onion powder and nutmeg with 1 cup of flour and set aside. Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat—just until they begin to smell nutty—then set aside to cool. On a clean cutting board, toss the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and finely chop, tossing intermittently. The flour will reduce sticking and allow for finer pieces of cranberry. Set aside. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk, water, salt and butter to a light boil, stirring occasionally with a sturdy wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the flour mixture all at once. Stir constantly as the dough comes together—a light film will develop on the bottom of the pan and the dough will become very smooth. Continue stirring the dough across the bottom of the pan for another minute, then transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer
or mixing bowl. Mix the dough on low speed for another minute to allow it to cool. Increase the speed slightly and add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to incorporate before adding the next. Add the egg white last. The dough may appear to break, but it will come back together after the last egg is added. When the dough is smooth (it will be sticky), add the lemon zest, Parmesan and Gruyère until evenly combined. Reduce the speed to low and fold in the cranberries and walnuts until well dispersed in the dough. Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, place 1 1/2 tablespoon portions of dough on the baking sheets, approximately 1 1/2 inches apart. (A third tray may be needed.) Bake two trays for 12 minutes, then rotate the trays between oven racks and turn them 180 degrees. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes. When the pastries puff up, begin to turn golden and display the distinctive cracks on top, remove them from the oven. When rotating trays, if the bottom edges look too golden, reduce the heat to 350 degrees for the final 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm. Makes approximately 30 gougères.