Gruyère gougères

One of my all-time favourite pastry mouthfuls, gougères make the perfect party food – make them ahead of time, reheat just before serving and watch them disappear!

Credit: Alan Benson

• makes

  26

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 quantity basic choux pastry, replacing 80 ml (⅓ cup) of water with 80 ml (⅓ cup) milk
• 50 g finely grated Gruyère cheese, plus 20 g extra, to sprinkle
• 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked

Allow an extra 20 minutes for making the basic choux pastry.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Use a wooden spoon to beat the cheese into the warm prepared choux pastry until well combined.

Fill a large piping bag fitted with a 1.7 cm plain nozzle with the choux pastry. Pipe 4 cm rounds onto the lined tray, about 2 cm apart. Use your fingertip to spread a little egg yolk over each to glaze and smooth out any peaks on the rounds. Sprinkle each with the a little of the extra grated cheese. Sprinkle each gougères with a little water.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and puffed. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Baker’s tips

• The gougères can be made up to 3 days ahead of serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Refresh by placing on an oven tray and reheating in an oven preheated to 180°C for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

• To freeze, seal in an airtight container or snap-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh as above.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. Read our interview with her or for hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O’Brien. Food preparation by Kerry Ray.

For more recipes, view our online column, Bakeproof: Choux pastry.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.