Ingredients

The following ingredients have 40 Servings
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese plus 2 Tbsp for the topping
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
  • Pickled jalapeño slices (cut in half or quarters)

Instruction

  • Preheat the oven to 425˚F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pre-measure all ingredients, and pull out a bowl and set up a mixer if you want to use that to mix in the eggs. I often just beat them in with a wooden spoon, but a mixer is definitely easier.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter in the water with the salt. Increase the heat once the butter is melted and bring the liquid to a full boil. Don't quit at a simmer.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and dump in the flour all at once, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a mass of dough that rolls around the bottom of the pan. Continue for another minute until it's very smooth, and a light crust begins to form on the bottom of the pan.
  • Transfer the dough to a bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the eggs one at a time with a wooden spoon and a lot of elbow grease, or with a mixer. The dough should be very smooth once all eggs are incorporated. Thoroughly beat in the Dijon, dry mustard, cheeses (except the 2 Tbsp grated cheddar for the topping), and black pepper. Get the dough as smooth as you can - it helps ensure a round, even puff during baking. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if desired.
  • Using 1 Tablespoon dough for each gougère by either dropping them on a baking sheet from a tablespoon or by piping them. I prefer to pipe them by spooning the choux dough into a ziplock baggie, scraping the dough to the bottom and off to one side towards one of the corners using the back edge of a chef's knife, and snipping off a corner. Don't make too big a snip - it's easier to make it bigger than smaller, obvi.
  • Once they're all piped, round off any pointed tops with your finger. To keep the dough from sticking to your finger, first lightly dip your finger in olive oil.
  • Rest a jalapeño slice on each gougére, and top with a pinch of grated cheddar.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, and rotate the pan from bottom to top and from front to back. Bake for another 8 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Some chefs recommend piercing each puff with a small knife after the first 10 minutes, but I haven't found that it makes any difference.
  • Remove the puffs from the oven, keep on the baking sheet for one minute, and move to a cooling tray. Serve warm!