Gougères

These cheese puffs were another small bite I made for my Eurovision party. They were also a good way to use up the rest of the gruyère I bought for the beer cheese sauce. They are best eaten fresh but I just warmed them up in the oven for 5 minutes at 150 degrees C. The recipe is from one of my favourite celebrity chefs – Rachel Khoo – and her book ‘Little Paris Kitchen’ so named as living in Paris, she couldn’t afford much of a kitchen.

Makes about 15

Ingredients

• 60ml water
• 65ml milk
• 50g butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 85g plain flour
• 35g gruyere cheese
• 2 eggs

Method

1.) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray

2.) Measure out the water and milk into a measuring jug, grate the cheese, beat the eggs into a container and beat with a fork, measure out the butter into a pan

3.) Measure out the flour and melt the butter into the pan.

4.) Once the butter is melted, add the water and milk, the flour and beat, add about 2/3 of the cheese and beat in until melted

5.) Add half the egg and mix, then add the other half and beat until a glossy paste

6.) Put the dough into a piping bag (or into a freezer bag with the corner chopped off to make a nozzle).

7.) Pipe on the baking tray into about 15 walnut sized balls. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. I went back and topped them up.

8.) Wet a finger and pat down the points on each ball.

9.) Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese on the tops.

10.) Bake for 20 minutes.