Blue Cheese Gougères
These elegant Blue Cheese Gougères are a French appetizer that will disappear quickly! Cheese Puffs made from choux pastry are impossible to resist! Our neighbors inhaled these when I brought them to a neighborhood gathering a couple of weeks ago. If you’re looking for a new appetizer, these Cheese Puffs are destined to impress!
This French recipe is a classic typically made with a Swiss cheese like Gruyere, but equally as delicious with piquant blue cheese.
Blue Cheese Gougères or Cheese Puffs
Bill is always a good sport when it comes to culinary adventures. When we were in Vancouver a couple of summers ago, I made a reservation for the two of us to dine at Lumiere, a chic and elegant, now-defunct French restaurant. I have very little recollection of our menu except for the beet chocolate cake for dessert, which hubby thought was blasphemous. And the blue cheese gougères, which were heavenly puffs of deliciousness. I had to make these cheese puffs at home.
Pâte à Choux
Thank goodness I grew up making cream puffs from the same pâte à choux dough that’s used to make these French cheese puffs. So the method was not daunting, but there’s still a bit of a learning curve if you’re new to this French recipe. These gougères are a simple pâte à choux dough with blue cheese and a pinch of cayenne.
To put it simply, pâte à choux dough is a pastry dough containing only butter, water, flour, and eggs. The “puff” comes from their high moisture content, including eggs, instead of any specific leavener. They’re best baked in a hot oven to allow them to puff! Cream puffs often have a pinch of sugar if used for desserts and gougères have cheese mixed into the dough. There are other desserts are made with choux pastry like this Paris Brest, named for a French bicycle race.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Gougeres and How Do You Pronounce Gougeres?
Gougeres are savory choux pastry usually made with a Swiss cheese like Gruyere, Compte or Emmentaler. A twist on the classic, this recipe diverted from the norm and used blue cheese instead. This French culinary term is pronounced goo-ZHAIR.
Can You Reheat Gougeres?
Yes, you can make these cheese puffs up to 5 hours ahead of time. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes.
Can You Freeze Gougeres?
Yes! Pipe out the choux pastry onto a parchment-lined baking pan. Place the pan in the freezer covered with plastic wrap until dough is frozen. Place frozen dough into a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees, place frozen gougeres dough on a baking sheet, and bake a bit longer than called for with fresh dough.
How to Make French Cheese Puffs
The procedure is straight forward. But until you’ve seen the choux pastry dough come together, it’s hard to know if you’re on track or not.
First, combine liquids, butter, and seasoning in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Have the flour, eggs, and blue cheese measured and next to your stovetop.
Next, turn down the heat and add the flour. With a wooden spoon stir the mixture until it comes together in a large clump. Turn off the heat.
Reserve a tablespoon of the eggs to glaze the cheese puffs.
With the pan on the warm, yet off burner, add about 1/3 of the eggs and stir vigorously. As the eggs incorporate, add the next third, and repeat. The mixture will be sloppy, but keep stirring until the dough comes together. Then stir in the blue cheese.
Use a medium cookie disher or two spoons to scoop out rounds of dough onto the prepared pan. Brush each gougere with egg wash, then bake as directed.
More Appetizer Recipes You’ll Love:
- Fig Gruyere Crostini
- Beef Crostini
- Classic Gougeres
- Triple Cheese Gougeres
- Bacon Cheddar Dip
- Kahlua Caramel Baked Brie
- Homemade Queso Recipe
- More Appetizer Recipes
This recipe was first posted in August 2011. Text and photos were updated in 2019.
Blue Cheese Gougères Recipe
Tasty French Cheese Puffs made with cream puff dough.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of salt
- A generous pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2/3 cup flour
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup finely crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º. Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir till butter is melted. Stir in flour, and reduce heat to medium low. Continue stirring until dough forms a large clump, about a minute. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs together in mixing cup. Remove 1 tablespoon and set aside. Add eggs, about a third at a time to flour mixture, stirring constantly till incorporated...and to avoid scrambling the egg. Dough will be sticky. Stir in blue cheese.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Brush each with reserved egg yolk and with finger moistened with water, gently pat down any pointed tops.
Bake till puffed, golden and dry, about 30-35 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetit.
Can be frozen for up to a week and reheated in a 350º oven for about 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 67Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g
64 Comments on “Blue Cheese Gougères”
I’d like a plateful of those please. 🙂
I have not had gourgeres before…yours looks scrumptious!
Perhaps the best thing to happen that evening was the fully booked restaurant. Sounds as if the tail-gate party with everyone was so much for fun. Your Blue Cheese Gougères look irresistible.
WOW! Those look amazing and oh so delicious!!
I love gougeres! Yours look amazing. There are worse things then having to eat a whole bunch of them for dinner!
What a delicious appetizer! This sort of thing is MY kind of appetizer! I love that you met with a fellow food blogger…
….I just had lunch with one – Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker! SO much fun!
So glad that you are enjoying my paintings!
You have a real talent for baking! YUM!
Liz…I truly love blue cheese. On it’s own or in any recipe. These gougeres are just beautiful. I really do admire your skill as a baker! (And those plates are just so pretty!)
I have a newfound love for blue cheese, so these look wonderful!
These sound so scrumptious with blue cheese! Great appetizers!
I’ve tailgated at a NASCAR race and football game, but never a restaurant. That’s pretty hilarious.
I love the ingredients in your gougeres and can understand why you loved them at the defunct restaurant. The photos are gorgeous.
Beet chocolate cake? It actually doesn’t sound that bad to me (is that weird?).
I love this recipe. Sounds like you had fun. I don’t have any local foodie friends. Need to meet some soon before I drive my family batty. I went over to check out your friend’s site. Am now following her. So thanks for sharing. Love finding new blogs to read.
I love that picture of you guys at the end! <3 I have never made gougeres and I have been wanting to try them so badly... now I know what recipe to try first... I cannot resist blue cheese! 🙂
I keep meaning to make these! They always sound so yummy.
Sorry about not getting in the restaurant! It’s a good thing you had appetizers ready to go! Sounds like you had a good time, though.
I would eat way too many of these! I have a recipe for Gruyere gougeres but have not tried it yet. They sound so good!
mmmmm, these look awesome! Looks like a great appetizer for a party!
I make these regularly – aren’t they foolproof? But yours are so much prettier…. sigh.
An elegant and flavorful dish! And how cool that you had a foodbuzz gathering!
Those look so incredible! Love it! I tagged you in my 7 Links Challenge! 😉 http://www.the-farmers-wife.net/2011/08/farmers-wifes-7-links.html
These blue cheese gougeres look amazing dear Lizzy,what nice know others bloggers lovely pic!!Sounds you had a lovely time, xgloria