Cheese Gougères

Before starting this Cheese Gougères recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.

For the choux paste: Place the butter, salt and water in a saucepan on the stove.

Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and pour all the flour in one go.

Stir with a wooden spatula...

...making sure that lumps do not form.

The resulting dough is called 'panada'. Dry off the panada, stirring with a wooden spatula until the paste comes away from the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball.

Transfer to a cold recipient and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. One by one, add the eggs and combine with a wooden spatula.

It should be difficult to incorporate the egg at the start, but it will combine well after a while.

Repeat for the remaining eggs.

When the choux paste is ready...

... add the grated cheese. Combine well.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag...

... and lay the choux buns on a baking sheet, slightly greased.

Glaze the choux buns with beaten egg yolk...

... and sprinkle some grated cheese on top.

Bake at 180°C (gas 4)...

... for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a little.

For the Mornay sauce: Bring the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg to a boil.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan.

When the butter starts sizzling, add all the flour at once.

Combine well with a whisk. Cook the white roux for a few minutes.
Make sure the white roux does not brown. This is essential to make a good béchamel sauce.

Pour the boiling milk on the cold white roux.

Combine well with a whisk and bring to a boil.

The béchamel should start thickening. Add the egg yolk and grated cheese. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Set aside to cool a little.

Scoop the preparation into a piping bag fitted with a small, plain nozzle.

With the tip of a small kitchen knife, make a hole at the bottom of the choux buns.

Fill with Mornay sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve. These cheese gougères will make delicious appetizers.