Triple Cheese Gougères
This post is sponsored by Castello.
As you probably already know, I’m sort of obsessed with cheese. I like all sorts of cheese, mild, sharp, stinky, not-so-stinky, and everything in between.
So you can imagine just how excited I was to arrive home from work a few weeks ago and see pounds upon pounds of glorious Castello cheese (produced with milk from cows grazing on small mountain farms in the Alps) sitting in my fridge.
Since I have very little self control, I opened them up almost immediately and had to take a few small bites of each. Here’s a quick review:
Weissbier:
Weissbier, with its distinct orange wax rind, is soft, smooth, buttery, and the epitome of a great melting cheese. It has a nutty, but delicate flavor, with just a touch of funkiness, and beer undertones. Perfect for a homemade mac ‘n cheese (which I made about two days later), cheese sandwiches, omelettes, and grilled vegetables.
Castello Classic:
The next cheese on my agenda to try was the Castello Classic, which is much firmer than the Weissbier. It is a slightly sharper cheese and offers a hint of spice, as well as smoky aroma. It pairs extremely well with charcuterie, sun-dried tomatoes, and full-bodied red wines.
Hirten:
This was my absolute favorite among the three! I could happily munch on this cheese all day long–which is quite dangerous, considering I have quite a bit of it left. As you can see below, it is a dry, hard, granular cheese (very similar to a high-quality Parmesan), which is perfect for grating or slicing into very thin slices (I use a vegetable peeler to do this).
It is much more salty and complex than the other two cheeses, with overtones of caramel and pine–and works perfectly grated over your favorite pasta dishes or salads. Delicious!
As you can probably already tell, there are so many ways that these cheeses can be used. You could serve them on a charcuterie board or add them to your favorite dishes. They also work and compliment each other extremely well.
I chose to make classic French cheese gougères with a combination of all three Castello cheeses. Triple Cheese Gougères! What one cheese offers in melt-ability, another offers in saltiness, and so forth.
What are Gougères?
Gougères are made with a choux pastry that is mixed with cheese, baked at a high temperature (to puff and steam), and generally served warm as an appetizer or snack.
Traditional gougères are small and should be roughly the size of a Brussels sprout. I prefer to make them a tad bit larger and more substantial.
Topped with grated Hirten cheese, these savory French pastries can be made extremely quickly and customized to your liking with various add-in’s: more cheese, fresh herbs, roasted garlic, etc.
Make Ahead Tip:
Gougères can be made a few hours ahead of time (or frozen) and reheated in a warm oven just before serving.
Triple Cheese Gougères
Ingredients
- 2½ ounces (70g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- ½ cup (120 mL) whole milk or water
- 2 ounces (55g) unsalted butter
- 3 ounces (85g) Castello Swiss Alps cheese or gruyere equal combination of Hirten, Weissbier, and Classic, plus more for topping
- 2 large eggs divided
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper (or Silpat).
- In small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using) and whisk together. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine the whole milk and butter and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a rolling boil, watching carefully to avoid the mixture from over boiling or evaporating.
- Turn down the heat to low and immediately add in the flour mixture at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. There should be a light coating on the bottom of the pan, as it begins to dry out a bit. Add the grated cheese and stir until melted and combined.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Over medium speed, beat the dough until it has cooled slightly.
- With the mixer at medium high speed, add the eggs, one at a time, allowing the eggs to be absorbed fully before adding the other. You want the dough to not be stiff or runny. It should hang from the paddle attachment in a “V” shape (see photos in post).
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a round large tip - or use two spoons. Pipe the batter into small rounds (roughly 1-inch in diameter) onto the lined baking sheet, setting them apart by several inches. Brush the tops of each gougere with egg wash and sprinkle with additional grated cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and turn down the oven to 325°F (165°C) and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and light in weight. Serve hot.
- Note: Gougères can also be made a few hours ahead of time (or baked and frozen) and reheated in a warm oven just before serving.
Tips for Success:
- Gougères can be made a few hours ahead of time (or frozen) and reheated in a warm oven just before serving.
9 Comments on “Triple Cheese Gougères”
Just read this~! Very interesting cheeses and loved your descriptions of them. Too bad the Mac and Cheese isn’t also photographed. Your photos are great and make me want to eat on right away! Do you have any left?
Coming home to a fridge full of cheese is basically a dream come true 🙂 I’ve always wanted to make gougeres and yours look beautiful!
Super dangerous 🙂 Thanks Sues!
Oh, cheese is my jam! 😉 Your gougeres look amazing!
Your gougeres are gorgeous! Bet they taste delicious too! Also enjoying Castello cheeses right now. #Yum
Your gougeres look perfectly cooked, and I am jealous that you have all that cheese!
I entered the contest for the cheese tasting – what a great idea!
Mmmh.. I love gougeres! Those look great! Now I want cheese!! Too bad there’s not a cheese delivery service haha…
I there is a cheese of the month club out there–haha! But I know what you mean. Hope you’re doing well!!