Sunday adventures in baking. I served these with an arugala salad and mushroom carpaccio. They are very light and airy, and could work with many different types of cheeses. The typical cheese used in this recipe is Gruyere. But since I didn’t have any and I did have Grana Padano, I used that instead. These could be really good with Carr Valley Cheese Casa Bolo Mellage, which is also a delicious cheese on its own.

Gougeres

3 tbsp butter
125 ml water
pinch salt
pinch white pepper
100 g all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup shredded Grana Padano cheese (any strong flavored cheese would work)

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small sauce pan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pepper and flour with a wooden spoon. Place sauce pan back on stove on medium heat and stir vigorously until mixture becomes thick and begins to film on the bottom of the pan (1 minute). Remove from heat. Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time. Stir vigorously while adding eggs until the dough becomes a thick mayo consistency.  Stir in 3/4 cup cheese.

Place large spoonfuls of dough on a silpat covered baking pan. Should make 6 puffs. Sprinkle each puff with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven. They will swell to almost triple the size and become golden brown. Serve warm.