We love to entertain in the fall and often have friends over for dinner. For those weekends when I have a little less time to prepare, it's great to have a few things stashed away in the freezer that I've previously made and can be baked fresh at a moment's notice. French gougères, or cheese puffs, are so easy to make, incredibly delicious and your friends will think you spent hours preparing them.
Simple ingredients: butter, fresh eggs, cheese (I use Gruyère), milk, water, flour & salt.
Once the dough is spooned onto the baking sheet, you can either bake the puffs straight away, or freeze them for later. To freeze, just place the entire baking sheet in the freezer until each puff is firm and then place them in a sealed freezer bag to bake off later.
Before your guests arrive, just place some of the frozen gougères on a baking sheet and pop them into your oven. Upon arriving, your guests will immediately feel welcome by the fabulous smell coming from your kitchen. The gougères are light & airy and wonderful with a glass of wine. Your guests will love you!
The recipe I use is from a favorite cookbook, Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan. However, epicurious.com has the recipe online which can be found here.
