Bready or Not: Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs)
Eat your cheese in delicious, airy form in Gougeres, aka French cheese puffs!
This is a savory version of pate a choux, the dough used for cream puffs and eclairs. In this case, though, you fold in a generous amount of grated cheese.
What kind of cheese? Go for ones that grate and melt. Traditional choices would include Gruyere or Comte, or be a rebel like me and use English cheddar. (Scandalous, I know.)
I modified this recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s version in her lovely tome Around My French Table. I felt like I learned something new every time I baked up a serving of these puffs, and I wanted to include all that info to prevent people from repeating my mistakes.
Such as, see the aluminum foil in these pictures? Don’t use that. Do parchment instead. I didn’t take pictures of how I mangled these gougeres, which were hopelessly stuck to the foil despite a spray of Pam.
The recipe results in about 30 puffs. These things keep well, unbaked and frozen, but only for about a month. After that, the puff declines and an eggy taste is more pronounced.
Bready or Not: Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs)
Equipment
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
- tablespoon scoop
- mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk or half & half
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) cut into 4 pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose four
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely-grated cheese (6 ounces) such as Gruyere, Comte, Emmenthal, or cheddar
Instructions
- If baking now, position racks in oven to be at the top and bottom. Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Line two large baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper; do not use aluminum foil.
- If preparing the gougeres now, with plans to freeze and bake later, line a pan with waxed paper and clear some space in the freezer so the puffs can set.
- Place milk, water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a fast boil. Add flour all at once, then lower heat. Promptly start stirring batter with a wooden spoon or sturdy whisk. The dough will come together, but keep stirring with vigor for another couple minutes until the dough is very smooth and looks dryer.
- Drop the dough into the big bowl of a stand-mixer or a bowl where a hand mixer can be used. (Or, if mixing by hand, be ready for an arm work-out.) Let the dough set for a couple minutes, then add the eggs one by one. Beat, beat, beat that batter, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. If it separates, that's okay--keep beating it! It needs to reach a stage where it is thick and shiny. Beat in the grated cheese.
- The batter must be immediately doled out onto pans to either bake or freeze. Use a tablespoon or tablespoon-sized scoop to measure out the batter; if baking, space out about two inches apart.
- Slide baking sheets into oven. Immediately lower temperature to 375-degrees. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate pans from front to back, top to bottom. Continue baking another 12 to 15 minutes, until gougeres are golden and firm. Note that they will not puff until the end of the bake. Serve promptly.
- If freezing some or all of the gougeres, freeze on waxed paper, then place in a freezer bag or lidded container. Bake straight from the freezer--do not thaw them! Place on parchment or a greased surface to cook, with gougeres in a central location in the oven. Eat frozen gougeres within a month, as they will otherwise taste increasingly eggy and have less rise.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]
Doctor up a basic yellow cake mix box into an amazing Hazelnut Hand Cake!
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares11_sm.jpg)
It’s called hand cake because it’s convenient to eat without a knife and fork. Heck, napkins are optional, if you don’t mind a dropped crumb or two.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares1_sm.jpg)
This cake has a mild chocolate flavor–milder than that of a typical chocolate cake, from a mix or not. Nutella (or use a store-brand equivalent, as I did) is whipped into the batter, with some extra chocolate chips adding a gentle layer of flavor.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares3_sm.jpg)
This thing is all about convenience. The cake comes together fast. Bakes fast. Give it some initial time to cool at room temp, then stash it in the fridge, and you can eat it even faster.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares7_sm.jpg)
The end result is a cake with a soft, high, very moist crumb. The scattered nuts and toffee add extra flavor and crunch.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares9_sm.jpg)
My husband’s co-workers inhaled this cake. One guy said it was the best Cato treat ever. Considering the goodies that come their way, that is high praise indeed.
Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]
Equipment
- 13x9 pan
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup Nutella or similar hazelnut spread
- 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts toasted or not
- 1/2 cup Heath toffee bits
- confectioners' sugar to dust top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, water, hazelnut spread, and oil for several minutes, until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain. Fold in the chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and toffee bits. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until center is no longer jiggly and passes the toothpick test.
- Cool completely to room temperature; place in fridge to speed process along. Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board. If desired, sprinkle confectioners' sugar over top. Slice into pieces.
- Store in sealed container(s) at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not Original: Apple Butter Blueberry Muffins
Apple Butter Blueberry Muffins! Fruity flavors combine in a delicious way in this original recipe.
I love apple butter. It’s delicious, versatile stuff. I’ve found it can work as a substitute in recipes that call for things like applesauce, bananas, and pumpkin puree.
Here, the inherent spiciness in apple butter adds a lot of flavor without the need to measure out extra spices–and the thick texture creates a cakey, moist crumb.
The fresh blueberries throughout are like flavor bombs, introducing a different kind of sweetness in contrast.
Do note that this recipe makes 24 muffins. It saves a lot of time if you have two pans, but this recipe could certainly be done with one. Make sure you have paper liners, though. There’s no sadness like my-muffin-is-stuck-in-the-pan sadness.
Bready or Not Original: Apple Butter Blueberry Muffins
Equipment
- muffin liners
- 2 muffin pans
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon heaping
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups apple butter
- 3/4 cup coconut oil liquid
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Place muffin liners in two 12-count pans and apply a heavy dose of nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Wash and sort through blueberries, picking out stems or mushy berries. Pat dry. Place in a bowl. Add a tablespoon or so of flour and gently stir to coat berries. This will prevent them from sinking in the batter.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, apple butter, and coconut oil. Gradually pour in the dry ingredients, scraping bottom several times, until everything is just incorporated. Carefully fold in the blueberries.
- Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling each no more than 3/4 full.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425-degrees. Don't open oven door. Lower temperature to 375-degrees and bake for an additional 16 to 18 minutes, until middle muffins pass the toothpick test.
- Remove pans from oven. Immediately (and carefully) use a fork to pry out each muffin. Keeping them in liners, set on rack to completely cool.
- Once cooled, pack in sealed containers. If freezing muffins, remove liners first.
OM NOM NOM!
Out today: Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats
Hooray for release day! Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats is out now, and it features my story “A Letter to Bubba’s First Family.” It’s about our ginger trickster, Finn, who went by the name Bubba in his previous life. His previous family loved him a lot and they were heartbroken to leave him at the shelter. (Included in his adoption was a tall cat tree and his beloved plush green snake–a snake that he still loves and cuddles with after two years with us, as shown in this picture.) This story is a letter to his old family, and I really, really hope they see it and take comfort in that we love and adore him.
This book can be bought wherever books are sold, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
We adopted Finn–and our cats Luke and Kylo–at Sun Cities 4 Paws, an all-cat shelter on the west side of Phoenix. Like many charities, they are struggling right now. If you live in the area and need a cat, please check them out. They have cats of all ages in their shelter and have some available at a local PetSmart, too. They take donations of cat supplies or cash. Their thrift shop is a major source of income, too, so if you’re in the area, drop off donations or shop there.
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