Gougères

French cheese puffs from Seaglass Restaurant.

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups water
• 10 ounces unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 10 eggs, room temperature
• Gruyère cheese
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 14 turns of black pepper
• Egg wash
• Grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions

1. Place a heavy-bottom, medium-sized pot on medium heat, and then melt water and butter.
2. Add dried ingredients all at once. Mix together to form into a ball.
3. Transfer dough to a mixer and mix until steam subsides and the dough is slightly warm or cool to the touch, about six to ten minutes.
4. Add room-temperature eggs one at a time and slowly, followed by the cheese, mustard, and black pepper.
5. Divide the batter into 60 pieces. To store, keep them in the freezer. To bake, set the gougères on a baking pan, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Notes

• From the May 2025 "Pairings: Cheese" event at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.