Gougere w/Mushrooms & Ham
Gougere is the French name for pate a choux with cheese in it and appears as little puffs as light as air, buttery and cheesy. Pate a choux (not to be confused with the much more difficult puff pastry) is the French pastry that is used for cream puffs and eclairs. You know - the light airy eggy dough that puffs to create a hole in the interior just waiting to be filled with cremes and savories alike. My granddaughter and I watch cooking shows together and recently upon a contestant admiting he had never made pate a choux we both gasped and said, "What is he doing on a baking show if he's never made pate a choux!" Well she hadn't either so the next day we made it, even adding the lovely cookie top, craqueline.
Having never made it before, one has a right to be concerned as you must know a few basics to have your dough puff every time. I once had a student ask me in a cooking class why his puffs hadn't puffed to find out that he had mixed the dough with eggs in a blender. Yes, we want to add air to the dough, but not beat it out of every molecule!
There are a few basic tips to keep in mind:
Follow the directions METICULOUSLY and:
1 - After you have dumped the flour into the water & butter, beat & stir for
about a minute after over the heat, until the dough comes away from the
sides of the pan and forms a rough ball in the center.
2 - Cool the mixture down before adding the eggs so it doesn't scramble
them. You can either let it run in a mixer on low for a couple of minutes
or set it aside and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
3 - Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each and until each is well
incorporated. (Yes, this may be done in a mixer - you don't have to use
the traditional method which requires a wooden spoon and powerful
biceps to have success.)
4 - When making puffs, prick the cooked choux with a knife to let the
air escape and turn off the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar by placing
a hot pad or a wooden spoon in the frame of the oven door. Leave for
about 30 minutes before filling. (This step is not necessary for this
particular recipe!)
Below is a delicious, elegant, savory rendition of gougere which is a perfect dish for a brunch, for company and for anyone with a fine palette!
gougere with Mushrooms & ham
PATE A CHOUX:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut in 4 pieces
4 eggs
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
FILLING:
4 tablespoons butter
2 medium-size onions, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 green onions & green tops, sliced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste or bouillon square
1 cup hot water
2 large tomatoes, peeled and quartered
6 ounces cooked him, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoon shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Directions:
To make the filling:
-Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onion
and red pepper strips until soft but not browned.
Add the mushrooms and continue cooking about 2
minutes longer.
-Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper; mix and cook
an additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken bouillon
and water and mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring
constantly and simmer over medium-low heat 4
minutes.
-Remove sauce from heat. Cut each tomato quarter
into 4 strips and add to the sauce with the ham
strips and green onion. Taste and add additional
seasoning if desired. Set aside.
To make Pate a Choux:
-Heat the water and butter in a large saucepan until
the butter melts and mixture begins to boil. Stir in
salt.
-Dump the flour into the boiling mixture and stir
vigorously until mixture forms a ball and pulls away
from the sides of the pan - about 1 minute. Remove
from heat.
-Scrape mixture into a mixing bowl, fitted with a
whisk and mix at low spead for about 3 minutes to
allow to cool a bit. Turn mixer to medium-high and
add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
Beat mixture for about 1 minute after the addition of
each egg. (Alternately you can use the traditional
method of beating the choux with a wooden spoon,
beating well after the addition of each egg.) In either
case, it is very important to beat well after each egg.
This is what allows the choux pastry to puff when
baked. Stir in the shredded cheese and paprika.
To Assemble:
-Butter a 10-12 inch rectangular ovenproof baking
dish. Spoon the pate a choux around the edges of
the dish leaving the center open. Pour the filling in
to the center space. Sprinkle all over with the 2
tablespoons of cheddar cheese.
-Bake in a 385 degree oven for 40 minutes or until
gougere is puffed and brown and the filling is
bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once cut
into squares with an edge of the pastry (Cut
lengthwise in the center and then across 4 times to
create 10 pieces.)
Prepare ingredients for ham and mushroom filling.
Saute vegetables and create sauce from tomatoes and broth.
Spoon choux around edges of dish and place filling in center.
Baked Gougere with mushrooms and ham!
