Stephanie Le Quellec's Gougères Recipe

© Anne Bergeron Sophie © Dupuis Gaulier and Rose Aubert

"As soon as they come out of the oven, they're immediately devoured!" It's the ultimate must-have for successful aperitifs: cheese gougères are and will remain a staple of French gastronomy. Today, we're offering you the version from Queen Stéphanie Le Quellec (along with all the tips that come with it) from her latest book "Mon carnet de cuisine," which is full of feel-good recipes that can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.

• 115 g of Comté cheese
• 115 g of butter
• 12.5 cl of milk
• A pinch of salt
• 125 g of flour
• 4 medium eggs
• Freshly ground pepper

1. It's better to use cheese cut into small pieces rather than grated, which would melt into the dough. The cheese pieces will melt randomly and add a delicious touch.
2. You can double the quantity and freeze some of the already baked Gougères. Just reheat them in the oven directly from the freezer.
3. Preheat the oven to 170°C (th. 5-6). Cut the Comté cheese into 0.5 cm pieces.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add 12.5 cl of water, the milk, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once and mix on low heat with a wooden spoon until you get a homogeneous dough that comes away from the edges of the saucepan.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the dough cool slightly (3 to 4 minutes) before incorporating the eggs, beaten beforehand, one by one, mixing well between each addition. Each time you add an egg, the dough will become strange in consistency, that's normal. When you mix it, it will return to its homogeneous texture. Add a few turns of freshly ground pepper. Mix well to obtain a very homogeneous dough. Finally, gently fold in the Comté cheese.
6. Using a tablespoon, form 12 nice balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake for 17 minutes, leaving the door slightly ajar for the first 5 minutes of baking to allow steam to escape. Never open the oven door before the end of baking, otherwise, your plump Gougères will deflate.
8. Serve the Gougères hot.

Stéphanie's tip : The choux pastry has the right consistency when you dip your fingertips into it and it adheres without dripping.