A savory choux pastry of Burgundy and Franche-Comte, light and airy puffs enriched with grated Gruyere or Comte and sometimes mustard, served warm as an aperitif snack. Sometimes made as a single large ring, sometimes as small individual puffs; the legend of their creation is traced to a seminary cook named Lienard in the nineteenth century.
Gougeres are savory choux pastries of Burgundy and Franche-Comte, made by stirring grated cheese — typically Gruyere or Comte — into choux paste before baking. A persistent legend attributes their invention to a cook named Lienard, who served at the seminary of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy in the nineteenth century; the legend is widely retold but its documentary basis is uncertain. In any case the gougere is firmly established as a regional specialty of Burgundy, traditionally served warm with a glass of the local white wine — Chablis or a Burgundy aligote — as an aperitif snack. Gougeres are made in two forms: small individual puffs, and a single large ring, the gougere en couronne, which is sliced at the table.
A gougere is a small, golden puff, the choux shell crisp at the surface and hollow inside, the interior coated with a savory, cheesy film from the melted Gruyere. The texture is light and airy, with a satisfying crunch at the crust; the flavor is unmistakably cheesy, sometimes with a faint mustard warmth. Eaten warm, ideally with a glass of Chablis, the gougere is the aperitif snack of Burgundy.
Gougeres rest on the steam-leavening of choux paste, the same mechanism as eclairs and profiteroles. A high-moisture dough of water, butter, flour, and eggs is cooked, then baked; in the oven, the water flashes to steam, inflating the dough into hollow puffs, and the egg proteins coagulate to set the shape. For gougeres, grated cheese — Gruyere or Comte — is folded into the warm dough before baking; the cheese melts during baking, coating the interior of the puffs and contributing its savory flavor. A little Dijon mustard is sometimes added for warmth. The high proportion of cheese weighs the rise somewhat, so gougeres are denser than sweet choux pastries — this density is part of their character. Whether made as small puffs or as a single ring, the steam-leavening mechanism is the same.
Variations
Made as small puffs or a single large ring; cheese varies (Gruyere, Comte, Emmental), and Dijon mustard is a common addition. The choux base and the grated cheese are the constants.
On the Palate
Where Gougere sits in the French flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
6 steps · 25 min
- 110 min
Bring water and butter to a boil, beat in flour, and cook to a smooth panade.
Watch outCook the water-butter-flour panade until it's smooth and pulls together — cook it too little and the choux won't puff hollow in the oven.
- 28 min
Beat in the eggs one at a time to a glossy choux paste.
- 35 min
Stir in grated Gruyere or Comte, and a little Dijon mustard if using.
- 45 min
Pipe small mounds (or a single ring) onto a lined tray.
- 525 min
Bake in a hot oven until puffed, golden, and dry.
Watch outBake until puffed, deep golden, and dry right through — pull them pale and the inside is still wet, so they collapse as they cool.
- 62 min
Serve warm, ideally with a glass of Chablis or aligote.
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