Name: White Cheddar Gougeres
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; ½ cup butter (sliced); ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup flour; 4 eggs; 1 ½ cups grated white cheddar

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White cheddar gougeres ---also known as Baylor’s favorite new snack. No joke. After I made these, I gave Baylor a sample. As my favorite kitchen assistant, I figured she deserved it. She was hooked and followed me around all day hoping for another taste. Honestly, it felt like a shark circling me in the water. Not that I've ever been circled by a shark in the water but it was with that kind of intensity. You know, minus the fear of an actual shark attack. But you get what I'm saying.

Anyway, she got another gougere or two because she stole my heart, and I have a hard time telling those sweet puppy-dog eyes no. And you know what? I don’t blame her for obsessing over these white cheddar gougeres. I love everything about them.

These white cheddar gougeres are delicate and flaky yet full of delicious cheesy flavor --- bite-size perfection, really. Pate a choux, which is a French pastry and pronounced as "pat a shoe," serves as the base for gougeres. On top of being delicious, pate a choux is great because it's so versatile. You can use this pastry dough for eclairs, cream puffs, churros, doughnuts --- so many possibilities. Plus, it sounds fancy, and I always love that. So let’s start cooking, shall we?

Step-by-Step Instructions

Despite being a French pastry, gougeres are surprisingly simple to make. In a medium-size saucepan, we bring water, butter and salt to a simmer and then quickly stir in some flour. After the mixture cools for a few minutes, we beat in the eggs one at a time. We could use a wooden spoon, but I find it much easier to get a little mechanical help with a mixer. Once we incorporate all the eggs, stir in the cheese, and we're ready to bake.

Some people like to shape gougeres by piping them, but scooping works just fine. Granted, it's a little messy, but a quick rinse solves that problem if you're fingers get too sticky. But you do you.

Gougeres are funny little nuggets and require baking at two separate temperatures. We start the gougeres in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes and then bring the temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. My favorite way to serve gougeres are warm, freshly out of the oven, but they're still delicious at room temperature. You can also make these ahead of time and reheat for three to five minutes. If serving for a crowd, anything that can be made ahead of time is a huge plus in my book.

Perfect Pairing

These white cheddar gougeres are so delicate that you don’t want an overpowering beer. With that in mind, I recommend an amber ale. The mouthfeel of an amber ale is light enough to work with the gougeres. Amber ales are also malt-forward with a toasty, bread-like flavor, which complements both the white cheddar and the pastry.

If wine is on the mind, pinot noir is a good call. While pinot noir is a red wine, it’s light in body, so it won’t overwhelm that delicate texture. The earthy notes in the pinot noir are also a tasty match to that nutty cheese.

I hope you try these white cheddar gougeres soon. These gougeres are the perfect party appetizer — addictive enough that you can’t stop eating them but light enough that it won’t ruin your appetite.

Cheers!

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