Gougères (French Cheese Puffs)

Ingredients

• 1¼ dl water
• 1¼ dl milk
• 100 g butter, cubed
• 150 g wheat flour, sifted
• 4 egg
• 120 g Gouda, coarsely grated
• 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Method

1. 1.

   Boil the milk and butter — Heat the oven to 200°C and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Bring the water, milk, butter and salt to a full rolling boil in a saucepan, making sure the butter has melted before the liquid boils.

2. 2.

   Dry out the panade — Take the pan off the heat, tip in all the flour at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a smooth ball. Put it back over medium heat and keep stirring for 1-2 minutes to dry the paste, until a thin film forms on the base of the pan.

3. 3.

   Beat in the eggs — Scrape the paste into a bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes, or the eggs will scramble. Beat in the eggs one at a time, working each in completely before the next, until the paste is glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick V.

4. 4.

   Season, add cheese and pipe — Beat in the Dijon mustard, nutmeg, black pepper and three quarters of the Gouda. Pipe or spoon walnut-sized mounds onto the trays, 4 cm apart, and smooth down each peak with a wet fingertip so it does not scorch.

5. 5.

   Bake until well risen — Scatter the Parmesan and the last of the Gouda over the tops and bake for 25-28 minutes, until deep golden, well risen and light in the hand. Do not open the oven for the first 20 minutes or they will collapse.

6. 6.

   Pierce and dry inside — Turn the oven off, pierce the side of each gougère with the tip of a knife to let the steam out and leave them in the cooling oven for 5 minutes to dry inside. Serve warm, while the cheese is still fragrant.