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Gougères are the ultimate wine pairing ally! These delicious French cheese puffs, native to Burgundy, are usually served during wine tastings in France. They complement a wide variety of wines, without altering their aromas and flavors. Whether you open a bottle of Champagne, a bold oaky Chardonnay, or a subtle and elegant light red, Gougères will get you covered! This is why they are a delicacy favored by the French for apéro.
A few details about the recipe
Choosing the cheese: gougères are basically choux dough mixed with cheese. Very simple and versatile! The traditional version is made with Comté but if you do not have Comté on hand, you can replace it with any aged hard cheese you like such as aged Gruyère, aged Emmental, aged Cheddar. Keep in mind that the more mature the cheese, the more complex the taste. (And this is what I prefer!) A cheese that is too young and too mild in flavor will likely make the gougères bland. So go crazy with a nice aged cheese!
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Drying out the dough: an important technical step when making gougères is the “desséchage”. It consists in drying out the dough to remove the excess humidity. Melted butter, boiling water, and flour are combined in a saucepan. They will immediately start biding once the flour is added. However, I recommend putting the saucepan back on the stove over medium heat and stirring the mixture with a wooden for 5 minutes. This step (which requires some elbow grease) will remove the excess water and allow the gougères to rise beautifully when baked in the oven. After a few minutes, the dough will start to smell like biscuits, it’s a sign the dough has been “dehydrated” enough!
Adding the eggs: after drying out the dough, I always let the dough cool down for 5 minutes. Allowing the dough to cool down before adding the eggs will prevent them from starting cooking when added to the dough.
🥂Wine Pairing for French Gougères (Cheese Puffs)?
The Match
Champagne or other dry sparkling wines!
The ultimate match for the gougères.
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can definitely make the dough the day before and store it in an airtight container. The next day, just follow the recipe’s baking instructions and you got yourself some freshly baked gougères!
Of course! Let the gougères cool down completely before transferring them to a large ziplock. They can be stored for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy them, no need to thaw them. Just place the frozen gougères on an oven tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 390°F (200°C) for 5 minutes).
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Recipe
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Authentic Gougères (French Cheese Puffs)
Gougères are the ultimate wine pairing ally! These delicious French cheese puffs, native to Burgundy, are usually served during wine tastings in France. They complement a wide variety of wines, without altering their aromas and flavors. Whether you open a bottle of Champagne, a bold oaky Chardonnay, or a subtle and elegant light red, Gougères will get you covered! This is why they are a delicacy favored by the French for apéro.
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
7 ounces (200 g) of comté cheese (preferably matured for 12 months or older)
1 cup (225 ml) of water
¼ cup (65 g) of unsalted butter
1 teaspoon (5 g) of sea salt
1 cup (130 g) of all-purpose flour
3 free-range eggs
Instructions
Start by preparing the comté:
- Cut 4.6 ounces (130 g) of comté into tiny cubes (around ¼ inch / 0,5 cm large).
- Grate the remaining comté with a cheese grater.
Make the gougère dough:
- Preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C).
- In a saucepan, pour the water, salt, and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted and the preparation is simmering, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is roughly combined.
- Put the saucepan back on the heat and stir energetically with the wooden spoon for 4 minutes. Stir continuously and don’t worry if a layer forms at the bottom of the saucepan, this is normal.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl (or the mixing bowl of your stand mixer) and let the preparation cool down for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one by one until well combined. For this step, I recommend using a wooden spoon or the flat beater tool of your stand mixer. Make sure the previous egg is well incorporated before adding the next one. You should end up with a smooth, silky dough.
- Add the Comté cubes to the dough and stir until combined.
Bake the gougères:
- Using a spoon, scoop out small balls of dough (around 1.2 inches / 3 cm) onto a parchment-lined oven tray. Sprinkle some grated Comté on top of each gougère.
- Bake for 20 minutes in the oven until risen and golden. Gougères can be served warm or at room temperature.
- Enjoy with a glass of your favorite Champagne or sparkling wine!
NIM KEYS
Drying out the dough for 4-5 minutes in the saucepan is essential for the gougères to rise and develop nicely once baked in the oven. Do not skip this step!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 475
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Fat: 28.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.8 g
- Protein: 26.8 g
- Cholesterol: 205.7 mg
Keywords: gougères, cheese puffs, French appetizers, savory puffs