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Comté and Black Pepper Gougeres|Weston Table

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Comté and Black Pepper Gougeres
This extraordinary recipe takes the already classic beloved French gougere to new heights. Filled with a hot cheese mousse and finished with a fine grating of comté, these cheese puffs are traditionally served with aperitifs. We serve these glorious tasting morsels straight from the oven with a glass of champagne. The nutty, grassy, and caramelized butter flavor of comté pairs well with a dry, finely bubbled cava, sparkling wine, or champagne with a yeasty and toasty flavor profile. They are also delicious with beer and red wine. Addictive and easy to serve, anyone so lucky to be seated at the table where they are passed, will be looking to snag a second (or third!).
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cuisine French
difficulty Moderate
season Fall & Winter
serves 8 to 12

Ingredients for the Gougères

  • 250 ml (1 cup) water
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 110 grams (1/2 cup) european butter, cut into 1/4" cubes
  • 125 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 4 to 5 eggs
  • 110 grams comté (1/2 cup), finely grated
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten and mixed with 1/2 teaspoon salt for the glaze
  • Extra comté for shaving over the baked puffs

Ingredients for the Cheese Mousse

  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 250 grams (9 ounces) comté, finely grated
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions for the Gougères

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Prepare two half sheet baking trays. Either line the baking trays with silpats, or cut parchment paper to fit and lightly butter them.
  3. In a 4 quart pot, combine the water, salt, and butter. Heat gently until the butter is melted.
  4. Sift the flour onto a piece of parchment paper. Bring the butter just to a boil and remove from the heat immediately. Add all the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a ball.
  5. Beat the mixture over low heat for one minute to dry out the dough a bit.
  6. Beat one egg and set it aside. Beat the remaining eggs, one at a time, into the dough, beating thoroughly after each additional egg. The dough should be shiny and just falling from the wooden spoon. Add just enough of the reserved egg, a bit at a time, until the dough is shiny and still holding its shape. If too much egg is added, the dough will be too soft and not hold its shape.
  7. Add the grated comté to the dough and mix until evenly distributed.
  8. Rub the top of the dough with butter to prevent a skin from forming and set aside to cool.
  9. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip and pipe 1 1/2 inch mounds 1 inch apart on the baking trays. Brush the mounds with the reserved egg wash and bake until the mounds are crisp and golden brown, about 20 minutes--take one out and let it cool for 1 minute. Open it and check for doneness. The puff should stay crisp on the outside and be slightly soft but not dry on the inside.

Instructions for the Mousse

  1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan add the heavy cream and the finely grated cheese. Stir to combine and slowly bring to a simmer.
  2. Once the cream mixture is simmering, add the freshly ground black pepper and turn off the heat. Let the mixture sit and steep for 5 minutes.
  3. Let the cream cool to room temperature and then put in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
  4. Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix at medium speed until the cream is in between soft and stiff peaks.
  5. 5. Spoon the mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip.
  6. Poke a hole in the underside of each gougère and fill with the mousse. Place on a serving plate and finely grate more comté over the puffs. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Notes

Any hard cheese such as gruyère , parmesan, or aged gouda may be substituted. The dough may be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 12 hours. While these are best served straight from the oven, we often bake them in the morning, fill with room temperature mousse just before serving, and pop them in the oven for 2 minutes before placing them on the table to be gobbled up in seconds.
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