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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
25 minutes
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Makes
24
Author Notes
My first job after college was in Washington DC where I would frequently drop by Whole Foods to peruse the aisles and, if I was lucky, snack on some samples. It was on one of these trips I found a container by the cheese counter filled with a selection of wrapped cheeses that were much smaller than the others on offer. Because they seemed like the extra bits leftover from the more choice wedges, my friend and I dubbed these mini cheddars and blues “remnant cheese”. A selection of this remnant cheese was a staple of my early post-college entertaining.
Over the years, I’ve found this gougere recipe is the perfect way to use all the remnant cheese you may have lingering around--or bought specially for the occasion. The recipe is based on David Lebovitz’s gougeres. —Allison
Ingredients
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1/2 cup
water
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3 tablespoons
butter
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1/2 cup
flour
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
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1/4 teaspoon
cayenne pepper
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2
eggs
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1/2 cup
mixed cheeses, dice or crumble softer cheeses into small pieces and use a box grater for harder cheeses
Directions
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Preheat the over to 425ºF. In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt, pepper and cayenne and place over medium heat until the butter is melted.
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With wooden spoon in hand, add the flour to the saucepan mixture and stir continuously until the ingredients form a ball. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool slightly, about two to four minutes.
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Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each until fully combined.
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Stir the mixture of cheeses into the saucepan until well distributed.
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Transfer the dough into a zip-top plastic bag, seal the bag and snip a bottom corner of the bag to create a 3/4" opening to pipe the dough through. To make it easier to get the dough into the plastic bag it can be helpful to place the open zip-top bag into a mug or liquid measuring cup with the top of the bag folded over the top of the mug, like you would line a garbage can.
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Pipe large gumball-sized mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 5 minutes at the preheated temperature of 475ºF Then, while the gougeres are still in the oven, reduce to 375ºF and bake for 20 minutes more or until golden brown.
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