EDITOR'S NOTE: What's better than watching a riveting drama with great food and drink, right? Here are some scrumptious recipes crafted by Chef Caroline Schiff for your next French binge watch!
Gougères
“Cheese Puffs”
Notes from the Chef:
These classic French cheese puffs always impress, and they’re highly addictive. Think cheezit’s very fabulous cousin. Fortunately, they’re easy to pull together, and work very well when prepped ahead of time, reheating as guests arrive and throughout the evening. The batter can be made and chilled a day ahead of time as well.
50 pieces
Active time: 20 minutes
Baking time: About 30 minutes
Printer friendly version
4 tbs unsalted butter
¾ cup water
¼ cup whole milk
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
½ cup finely grated gruyère cheese plus a little more to top
Process
- In a medium pot, bring the butter, water and milk to a boil.
- Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and a film coats the bottom of the pot. About 3 minutes.
- Transfer the hot batter to a mixing bowl and stir for 1 minute to cool slightly.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir vigorously to fully incorporate each one. The batter will separate and come back together with each addition.
- Once the eggs are fully incorporated, mix in the grated cheese.
- Transfer the batter to a pastry bag or zip lock bag and cut the end to make a ½” opening.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and “glue” the parchment down with a little bit of the batter. Pipe little dollops of the batter in rows, about 1 ½ tsp worth each, spaced about 2” apart. Transfer the filled sheet pan to the freezer for about 20 minutes, or overnight. That’s right, you can make these the day before!
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Top each chilled gougère with a little pinch of the remaining grated gruyère and transfer the sheet tray to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature 350 degrees and bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown. These can be baked off about two hours before guests arrive. Reheat on a sheet pan in a 300 degree oven for about 5 minutes to serve. You can do this in batches as people enjoy throughout the evening!
Pair this recipe with:
Agatha Christie’s world-famous mysteries are delightfully adapted in a new series of French TV movies – sexy, witty and definitely addictive! Set in the 1950s, these iconic stories introduce new investigators in classic Christie style: Chief Inspector Laurence, a man of class and refined taste, and the young ambitious journalist Alice Avril – along with Laurence’s ever-loyal secretary, Marlène.
About the Chef
Caroline Schiff is a chef based in Brooklyn, NY with a decade of experience in restaurants and bakeries. In May 2018 she launched her culinary consulting firm ParadigmSchiff, offering recipe and product development, menu consultations, concept development and corporate events. In winter 2019 Caroline will take on the role of Pastry Chef at the re-opening of Gage & Tollner, the legendary Brooklyn restaurant. She has been featured on Vice: Munchies, Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, Genius Kitchen, Cosmopolitan.com, Hulu’s Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi and stars in the documentary series, Her Name Is Chef. Follow Caroline here: @pastryschiff.
