Thursday, September 30, 2010

French Fridays With Dorie: Gougeres



**Let's just get this out of the way: I lived in France for 16 months. I lived in the Loire valley for the first 13 months and way down south in the Pyrenees for the last 3. This was 12 years ago. 3 years ago I went to Paris for the first time. I spent about 36 hours there. ....That is the extent of my Paris experience. 36 hours. Dorie LIVES in Paris. She's a world famous chef. She hangs out with world famous chefs. Soooo...sometimes when she talks about the food she eats...and I've never heard of it......let's forgive me...ok?

For our first recipe (hand chosen by Madame Greenspan herself! - hi Dorie!), we made gougeres. Dorie says, "Gougeres are made everywhere in France..."(........except maybe the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees...) "...but their home is Burgundy..."(...oh, ok. Now I feel better.)


(Let's also forgive my crappy camera....before the baby comes, we're getting a much nicer one...mmkay?)

Gougeres:...imagine a cream puff....but instead of cream, it's Gruyere cheese....and instead of being in the middle of the puff, it's all throughout. Oh my...so light...so airy...so cheesy. And friends? So easy.
This is (embarrassingly) my first Dorie Greenspan recipe. And kids, Dorie likes to really explain every step. So, the length of the recipe can seem a bit daunting. I was having my parents over for dinner (mommy was bringing soup) and I worried a bit that I wouldn't finish them in time. (especially with directions like "add the eggs one at a time and beat, beat, beat until the dough is thick and shiny.") But, oh these came together so quickly. And her thorough directions made me confident I was doing it right at every step.

She says you can use any cheese, but lists Gruyere or Cheddar as possibilities. I used all Gruyere and its strong flavor was perfect for something so little and light. AND it went perfectly with the Wisconsin Cheddar Potato Soup my mommy brought over!

Verdict: I absolutely loved these bite-sized, puffy, cheesy, happy gougeres. I will definitely be making them again!

Dear Readers,...bienvenue a French Fridays With Dorie (henceforward to be known as FFwD).

5 comments:

Cami said...
9:49 AM  

I'm not sure I know what Gruyere cheese tastes like but these look and sound DELICIOUS! Your FFwD just might convince me (in not too many posts) that I need this cookbook as well.

cay said...
12:11 PM  

Susan. Herman introduced me to these little delights in San Fran. Except Tartine, where we get them, makes the in giant size. And sometimes they have ham all wrapped up in them.

Mmmmm. Now Edible wants some gougeres...

Biz said...
5:09 PM  

Becah never introduced me to gougeres, but I am a big fan of cream puffs as a quick and easy and fancy-looking treat. I think I'll give these a go!

Di said...
9:46 AM  

Someday I'll make it to France... =) Your gougeres look delicious. I agree--I love how Dorie writes recipes, so easy to follow.

Becky @ Project Domestication said...
12:16 AM  

I was a little skeptical too. But man, I loved it. So delicate yet it had such a prominent mustard flavor.

Yours looks great. Bring on the spicy Vietnamese chicken noodle soup!

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