Aged Asiago and Black Pepper Gougères
[Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Seth Paternostro
October 17, 2021
A Cheeto is a cheese puff, merely bright orange and highly prepared. A cheese gougère, while open, airy, and puffed it be, is distant kin with its crunchy face and soft center. For one pan, some cracked eggs, and a few whirls, the pâte à choux base will rise. Add nutty aged asiago, a pleasant bite of pepper, and these poppers shine. So, warm the oven, and prepare your guests, since Chester Cheetah is not there to impress.
Makes 25 gougères
Total time
1 hour 15 minutes
Equipment:
2 large baking sheets, stand mixer or mixing bowl, silicone spatula, small mixing bowl, fork, digital scale, medium saucepan, measuring cups and spoons, cheese grater, 2 spoons, cup filled with water, parchment paper (if desired)
Tableware:
small plates, if desired
Ingredients
120 grams all-purpose flour (slightly under 1 cup)
240 milliliters water (1 cup), plus as needed
120 grams butter (1 stick)
4 large eggs (at room temperature), or as needed
120 grams aged asiago cheese
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper half. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease with butter and coat with a thin dusting of flour.
Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
Add the salt, pepper, and water, then bring to a boil over medium-high.
Turn down the heat to medium-low, then add the flour while stirring, making sure to eliminate any clumps.
Cook until the dough comes together into a ball and begins to coat the bottom of the pan.
Place in the bowl of a stand mixer, and stir on low with the paddle attachment for five minutes. Without a mixer, use a spatula to stir for the same amount of time, or wait until the dough is no hotter than 140°F.
Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs, and grate the cheese.
Add the eggs to the dough ¼ cup at a time while stirring on medium speed, or vigorously by hand. Wait until each scoop of egg is evenly incorporated before adding more, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
If the dough is rather stiff after 4 eggs, then add another egg to form a looser dough that slides off of the paddle or spatula.
Stir the cheese into the dough.
Dip the spoons into the water cup, then drop generous spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets, using one spoon to scoop and the other to push off the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350°F, and cook for another 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and well-puffed.
Serve warm.
Note: The gougères can also be piped onto the baking sheet using a pastry bag.
[Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 169 Total Fat 12.9g (16%) Saturated Fat 7.4g (37%) Cholesterol 92mg (31%) Sodium 270mg (12%) Total Carbohydrate 8.5g (3%) Dietary Fiber 0.3g (1%) Total Sugars 0.8g Protein 5.6g Vitamin D 11mcg (57%) Calcium 97mg (7%) Iron 1mg (4%) Potassium 37mg (1%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
[Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
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