Absolutely delightful little bites of cheesy heaven. Filled with butter and cheese, they are decadently sinful. These things are both ridiculous and sublime. Ridiculously sublime. Virtue and vice together. Seriously. Just make them.
The recipe that I used is from the September 2009 issue of Wine Spectator magazine, but their website is subscription-only (how rude!,) so I can’t link to it directly. This recipe is the closest that I’ve seen. If you cut the amount of gruyere by a couple of tablespoons and substitute a couple of pinches of cayenne for the black pepper, you’re pretty much there. When I made mine, I added a little freshly minced sage, which was good, but maybe just a TINY bit too much. I will cut back a little next time. Parsley or thyme would also be delicious, but tread lightly. It’s easy too overdo it.
These are fabulous as an appetizer with a good glass of red wine, or, with dinner, in place of bread or rolls. The recipe is from Chef Terrance Brennan, of New York’s Artisanal, where Girl and I were lucky enough to have brunch with my mother last month. We had some of the gougeres there and they were fabulous, but this recipe is simple enough to recreate that they were just as good at home. The secret is really good quality cheese and eating them immediately fresh and warm out of the oven.
Girl at Artisanal, with a GIGANTIC cup of hot chocolate.