Ingredients:
- ½ cup water, (125ml)
- 3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, cut into cubes (40g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch chile powder, or a few turns of freshly-ground black pepper
- ½ cup flour, (70g)
- 2 large eggs
- 12 chives, finely-minced (or 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme)
- ¾ cup cheese, grated (about 3 ounces, 90g)
Two things to keep in mind when making these. One is that you should have all the ingredients ready to go before you start. Don't let the water and butter boil away while you grate the cheese. Otherwise you'll lose too much of the water. Second is to let the batter cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs so you don't 'cook' them. Make sure when you stir in the eggs that you do it vigorously, and without stopping. I'm not a fan of extra dishes to wash, but the intrepid can put the dough in a food processor or use an electric mixer to add and mix the eggs in quickly.
If you don't have a pastry bag with a plain tip, you can put the dough into a freezer bag, snip off a corner, and use that. Or simply use two spoons to portion and drop the dough onto the baking sheet. This recipe can easily be doubled.
1. Preheat the oven to 425F (220C.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. Heat the water, butter, salt, and chile or pepper in a saucepan until the butter is melted.
3. Dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides into a smooth ball. Remove from heat and let rest two minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure the eggs don't 'cook.' The batter will first appear lumpy, but after a minute or so, it will smooth out. (You can transfer the mixture to a bowl before adding to eggs to cool the dough, or do this step in a food processor or electric mixer, if you wish.)
5. Add about 3/4s (MORE THAN 3/4...) of the grated cheese and the chives, and stir until well-mixed.
6. Scrape the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a wide plain tip and pipe the dough into mounds, evenly-spaced apart, making each about the size of a small cherry tomato.
7. Top each puff with a bit of the remaining cheese, the pop the baking sheet in the oven.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375F (190C) and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until they're completely golden brown.
For extra-crispy puffs, five minutes before they're done, poke the side of each puff with a sharp knife to release the steam, and return to the oven to finish baking.
NOTE: Zipbag was hard to squeeze and the bag sprung a leak.
NOTE: Use Cuisinart fine grater.
Serving: The puffs are best served warm, and if making them in advance, you can simply pipe the gougères on baking sheets and cook right before your guests arrive, or reheat the baked cheese puffs in a low oven for 5-10 minutes before serving. Some folks like to fill them, or split them and sandwich a slice or dry-aged ham in there, although I prefer them just as they are.
A bit of troubleshooting: The most common problem folks have with pâte à choux, or cream puff dough, is deflated puffs. The usual causes are too much liquid (eggs), or underbaking. Make sure to use large eggs, not extra-large or jumbo, and use a dry, aged cheese, if possible. And bake the puffs until they're completely browned up the sides so they don't sink when cooling. If yours do deflate, that's fine. I've seen plenty of those in France, and I actually think the funky-looking ones have a lot of charm—and you're welcome to quote me on that.
(Serves --)
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/01/gougeres_french_cheese_puffs.html
Link: shows photos of various steps....
http://steamykitchen.com/6659-super-simple-pate-a-choux-basic-cream-puff-recipe.html
1:1:1:1 ratio
By weight – a far more accurate measure you want 8 ounces liquid, 4 ounces butter, 4 ounces flour, and 8 ounces of eggs (and again, a big pinch of salt).
http://upstartkitchen.wordpress.com/answers/pate-a-choux-tricks-and-tips/
Pâte à Choux
Definition: French for cream puff dough or choux pastry; éclair paste.
Name means “cabbage paste”, referring to the fact that cream puffs look like little cabbages. As the name suggests, it is not really a dough in the strictest sense but rather a thick paste that could be described as a roux with the addition of eggs. Choux paste has been around since the sixteenth century and is a must-know dough and a classic among pâtissiers. Typically used to create cream puffs, éclairs and profiteroles.
Unlike puff pastry, pate a choux is extremely easy to make. The dough itself can be prepared in just a few minutes. This is fortunate, because for best baking results the dough should not be prepared ahead of time. The dough is unusual in that it is twice-cooked. The mixture is mixed and heated on the stove top and then baked. The ideal choux paste pastry has a light, very tender crust and an almost completely hollow interior, made for filling with anything from ice cream to a rich seafood stew.
Paste is leavened by steam, which expands the product rapidly and forms large holes in the center of the item. The heat of the oven then coagulates the gluten and egg proteins to set the structure and make a firm product. A strong flour is necessary for sufficient structure.
1) Bring liquid, fat, salt and sugar (if used) to a boil.
The liquid must be heated to a full boil, meaning there are bubbles all over the pot, not just skirting the edges.
2) Add the flour all at once and stir madly until every last speck of flour is incorporated, then keep cooking and stirring some more – it’s this last bit of cooking that will take the raw taste out of the flour; you’ll know you’re ready to quit when the dough forms a ball around your wooden spoon and the bottom of the pan is covered with a light crust.
3) Remove from heat and cool to 140˚.
If not cooled, it will cook the eggs when added.
4) Beat in the eggs a little at a time. Completely mix in each addition of eggs before adding more.
If added too quickly, difficult to get a smooth batter. Don’t use a whisk – it will beat in unwanted air.
Baker’s Notes:
Paste must be firm enough to hold its shape when piped from a pastry bag. On the other hand, should not be too dry, which does not puff up well and is thick and heavy. Use the choux paste while it is still warm. Choux paste cannot be kept.
Should be piped onto parchment-lined pans, not onto greased pans. Grease causes the paste to spread and flatten when baked.
Proper baking temperatures are important. Start at a high temperature (425˚) for the first 15 minutes to develop steam. Then reduce heat to 375˚ to finish baking and set the structure.
Most common mistake is not baking long enough. Must be firm and dry before being removed from oven. If removed too soon or cooled too quickly, they may collapse and be wet. “Listen!” As long as you do not let it become too brown, you cannot over bake pate a choux.
There are many different recipes and philosophies to choose from when it comes to making this classic pastry. However, the one factor that holds true in each case is that the more eggs you are able to add to the base mixture (without causing it to lose its shape when piped), the higher and lighter your finished product will be, ideally becoming just a hollow shell.
Unfilled baked pastries can be well wrapped and frozen for a few weeks.
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