French Cheese Puffs
The French serve this Swiss Cheese bread, called gougère, for lunch with a mixed green salad and red
wine. I have used it many times as one of the easiest hot appetizers to make that does not involve sauces
dripping all over the floor. It appeals to kids and adults alike. We use to make this for many friend’s reunions
and family events. They are best served hot from the oven.
Servings 18 items
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter 8 Tbsp or 4 ounces
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup shredded swiss cheese 4 ounces
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepan, add the milk, butter, salt, pepper and thyme, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for about two minutes or until the mix forms a dough ball that will pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. Stir so that the dough cools more evenly.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the dough, stirring after each addition until the eggs are incorporated into the dough and the dough becomes rather creamy. Stir in the shredded cheese.
- Spoon out small balls (about a heaping tablespoon) of the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, slightly apart.
- Place tray in oven and cook for 45-50 minutes or until puffed up, lightly golden and crisp.
Notes
- This recipe works well also with cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese
- When this is served as a lunch light entrée, redistribute the amounts, creating 6 large mounds from ¾ of the dough and distributing the other ¼ as smaller mounds on top of the larger ones.
- If you need to reheat them before serving, use a toaster oven or regular oven preheated to 350 degrees for no more than 5-6 minutes