Classically French, gougères are the ultimate party appetizer. While they may sound overly fancy, they are simply bite-sized bits of choux dough (think cream puffs, profiteroles and éclairs) that are mixed with cheese and baked to puffy, luxurious perfection. They check all the boxes when we’re looking for the ideal hors d’oeuvres for entertaining: they’re easy to make, infinitely customizable, can be made ahead and are always sure to impress.
To explain the basic technique of making gougères, we asked James Beard Award nominated Pastry Chef Caroline Schiff (of Gage and Tollner restaurant in Brooklyn, New York) to share her tried and true basic gougère recipe, as well as expert tips for how to take that one basic recipe and turn it into endless flavor variations.
Caroline tells us “gougères are my favorite holiday party trick. Scrumptious puffs of French choux pastry (so called because when baked it resembles a tiny head of cabbage), laced with melty cheese, and aromatic herbs and spices. Served warm, they are a natural companion for a fresh glass of bubbling champagne while your guests leisurely trickle in. Even better, you can make and bake ahead of time, without compromising their luxurious, cheesy goodness. Scoop them large or small for a perfect party snack. Just don’t expect to have any leftovers.”
Caroline Schiff’s Customizable Gougère Recipe
Caroline’s base recipe for choux pastry is a breeze with simple ingredients that you likely already have in the kitchen, and it’s an ideal canvas for your favorite combinations to make them the gougères of your dreams.
This recipe will yield about 4 dozen bite sized gougères or 2 dozen large, plenty enough so you can try out all of her favorite combinations in the handy chart below.
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 large eggs
- In a medium Dutch Oven set over medium heat, bring the butter, water and milk to a boil. Add the flour and salt and mix constantly with a spatula until a uniform dough forms and a film develops on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and stir with a spatula to cool down slightly. When no longer steaming, add the eggs two at a time, stirring vigorously to fully incorporate each one. The batter will smooth out as more eggs are added.
- Divide the batter if making more than one flavor variation, and add the ingredients. See below for suggested pairings and instructions on folding in the additions.
- Scoop batter onto parchment lined baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. You can scoop them any size, from 1 tablespoon up to 1 ounce.
- At this point, gougères can be frozen individually for up to a month, and baked directly from the freezer.
- Or proceed with baking. Bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes for minis and 35 minutes for large ones, until golden brown and puffy. Add about 5 minutes to the baking time if gougères are frozen.
- Allow to cool slightly, and transfer to serving dishes and platters to enjoy while still warm. You can also bake them ahead of time, and heat in a warm oven just as guests arrive.
Gougère Flavor Mix-ins
Caroline suggests mixing and matching flavorings to create unique and delicious flavors. To add any of these ingredient combinations to the base recipe, simply use a spatula to fold through the batter until uniformly combined. The only exception is when adding jam to the batter – for this special two-toned treat, fold the jam into the batter just until there are ribbons and swirls of the jam in the base batter.
- 3/4 cup grated Emmental cheese + 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese + 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese + 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves + 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 3/4 cup grated gruyere + 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3/4 cup diced brie cheese + 1/4 cup your favorite jam (Caroline suggests cranberry jam)
