Recipe: Smoked Gouda Gougeres

Airy, elegant French cheese puffs, known as gougères, deliver toasty flavor within delicately crisp shells. Bonus: Ours are a cinch to make. Light, airy and delicious smoked Gouda cheese puffs — a great hors d'oeuvre or snack.

I picked up a copy of the Autumn edition of Food and Drink magazine the other day. As expected, the focus is on the fruits of the harvest and other foods that Canadians enjoy during the Fall. With cooler temperatures setting in, more substantial and warming foods are favored. The glossy images had me craving many foods at once and I'll be trying several recipes from this issue over the next few months.

One of the first recipes that caught my eye was for black pepper Gouda gougères. For those unfamiliar with the term, gougères are a savory French-style cheese puff that is often made with Gruyère cheese, and sometimes stuffed with other ingredients. Any flavorful cheese can be used. I decided to try the recipe with smoked Gouda, but feel free to substitute Gruyère, aged sharp Cheddar, or even goat cheese.

These delightful little airy puffs can be served with a red pepper dip, or just on their own, as I enjoyed them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• pinch of cayenne
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 cups crumbled or grated smoked or black pepper Gouda cheese

Instructions:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil over high heat. Immediately add the flour, paprika, cumin, and cayenne, reduce the heat to low, and stir until the mixture forms into a smooth ball that separates from the sides of the pan — about 1 minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon for a few minutes.
• Now add 1 egg and the chopped herbs to the pan. Beat until thoroughly blended and repeat, adding 1 egg at a time. Add the cheese to the pan in small handfuls, stirring between additions.
• Drop the mixture in rounded tablespoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving roughly an inch between each puff.
• Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the puffs are golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm.

Makes 35 to 40 cheese puffs

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