Pub Gougères with Anchovy and Cayenne
Author Notes: Anchovies give this riff on traditional cheese gougères a bistro-pub feel and a bold taste. Salty, spicy and savory, these are best with a strong, hoppy beer. These are great right out of the oven or made ahead for a crowd. —withinseason
Food52 Review: Withinseason’s directions are on the mark every step of the way. The dough was a little moist after the addition of the second egg but it came together nicely once the cheese was added. My batch did not get very puffy but they were extremely tasty and easy to make. My husband accused me of disrupting his nap ‘with all those delicious kitchen smells’. Luckily I had a plate full of hot pub gougeres in my hand and he helped himself. The cayenne is a subtle spicy note and the anchovy offers that certain je ne sais quoi. It was a hit and I’ll add this to my arsenal of impressive and inexpensive snacks.
—Summer of Eggplant
Makes: 12-15 gougères
-
5
tablespoons Unsalted butter
-
5
ounces Nonfat milk (Or: 1:1 whole to water) + extra for brushing tops
-
1/4
teaspoon Salt
-
1/2
cup Flour
-
2
Eggs
-
1/4
cup Gruyère, grated + extra for topping
-
1/4
cup Pecorino, grated + extra for topping
-
1
tablespoon Fresh thyme, leaves picked
-
1/2
teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground
-
2
Anchovy fillets, finely chopped
-
Pinch
Cayenne
- Have your oven at 350. Oil or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add butter, milk, and salt to a small, heavy saucepan. Heat till the butter melts and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring.
- Add the flour in one go. Stir! As the mixture pulls away from the pan and thickens, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. You can transfer to a new bowl to help cool, or, you know, save dishes...
- Add eggs one at a time. Fully incorporate before adding the next egg. Your mixture should be thick and smooth. Add cheeses, black pepper, and thyme.
- Add anchovy and a generous pinch of cayenne to the remainder (At this point, for variety on the plate, you could also opt to dole out half the dough with just cheese. Use less anchovy if you're going half-half). Using two spoons, dole out dough in 1 inch dollops, about 1-2 inches apart. Smaller is better for these flavor packed puffs.
- Brush with milk and scatter extra cheese across tops. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until puffed up and browned. Try to leave till they are well-browned, unless you're not concerned about the gougères falling as they cool. They'll be tasty either way!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dish with Meat as a Flavoring
More Great Recipes:
Seafood|Appetizer|Hors D'Oeuvre|Make Ahead|Serves a Crowd
Showing out of comments
whoops just noticed the makes 12-15, sorry!
It would be good to know how many this recipe makes? Also agree that it would be good to have metric measurements as well (as Silvia suggests), after all this is a international website!
What is in metric measurements, please?
Made exactly as directed and just So Delicious - Thanks for the lovely recipe!
You are so cheesy
The hit of our Christmas Eve seven fish seafood feast. Next time I'll amp up the anchovies. These are Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits hacked.
I get giddy when I come across a cool recipe and find that I already have all the ingredients. Can't wait to make these using my anchovy paste as a sub.
Used a bit of anchovy paste with great results. Instead of baking immediately, I piped them onto parchment, froze them on the cookie sheet then rolled 'em up in the parchment, stuck 'em in a large ziplock and chucked them back in the freezer. I pull them out about 20 minutes before popping them in the oven and bake them as needed. They only bake about 4 minutes longer this way -- and having fresh gougeres on a whim is a lovely thing!
Is that anchovies in oil from a tin or salted anchovies?
I used the ones in a tin.
I can imagine them filled with a vegetable mousse!
Lisanne is a trusted home cook.
Oh, yum. These sound so good,I would probably polish off the whole batch when no one was looking Congratulations!
I made these as well and agree with summer of eggplant. Mine also did not puff a ton but I am in the mile high city so that might be it. They were great plain, but we also stuffed ours with tomato jam, arugula and grilled chicken for dinner.
Tomato jam! That's a great idea. ... back to the kitchen!
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Man these sound amazing, I may have to make them tomorrow night!
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Made these Saturday - SO GOOD! I had a houseful all ready willing and able to burn their lips in order to get one. They were a HUGE hit - just the perfect bite of anchovy in tasty cheesy puffs, without being overwhelming
Glad to hear it!
These look great. I am now pondering what to stuff them with.
Well, you had me at anchovy and then at gougere. I will be making this soon!
Showing 19 out of 19 comments