These are ideal before a meal as they open the appetite. Pop them into the oven ½ hour before you need them; the aroma will be the best invitation to taste. I use 2 “tea” spoons to shape this quantity of batter into 60 choux. Do pre-shape the whole batch of dough into puffs before freezing the “extra” if you will not use them all at once. These will keep for 1-2 months in the freezer in a closed container and need no prior defrosting when you eventually cook them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little to rub the dish
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour, plus a little to dust the dish
- 5–6 large eggs
- 1 cup Comté cheese, grated
- ½ cup parmesan, finely grated
- Freshly ground white peppercorn, to taste
- Espelette pepper, to taste
- Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 380°F. Butter a baking sheet and dust with flour.
- In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt, pepper, Espelette, nutmeg, and butter. As soon as the butter melts, dump in all of the flour and stir until a smooth pánade forms. Lower the heat and continue stirring for 5 minutes until the mixture dries out and becomes shiny.
- Remove from the heat and add the eggs, one by one, beating continuously. You are controlling the homogeneity of the batter this way—you do not want the eggs to cook before they blend with the pánade! Add the Comté cheese, stirring continuously.
- Using 2 teaspoons, drop spoonfuls of dough onto the sheet pan; dust with parmesan.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 380°F, then lower the heat to 350°F to finish the cooking process and dry the choux out (approximately 15 minutes).
- To serve: Lay them flat on a pretty dish or pile them onto a folded napkin and…Bon appétit!
I met Jacques in New York at the French Culinary Institute. We received the same culinary training with the same rigor, and even did our military service in the same kitchens—including those of the French Prime Minister— though at different times. The power of giving forward is in our culinary DNA. My recipe is a traditional and well-loved French classic, one of the basics: the perfect amuse-bouche, les gougères or cheese puffs. They are perfect for sharing with an aperitif. Santé, Jacques!