One of the many cooking related gifts I received for Christmas was a cookbook from my daughter’s elementary school. It was filled with recipes sent in from various students’ parents. Funny, I sent one in but don’t see it listed. Hmmm.

Looking over the recipes, they are all very simple but you know they are exactly the kind of recipes busy families are preparing during the week. There are classics like Easy Shrimp Bake and Chicken Parmigian but there are a few more interesting looking ones like Greek Quesadilla with Tzatziki Sauce.

One of the recipes my wife served over the holidays was for Cheese Gougere or Fluffy Biscuits. Gougeres are made from a thick paste that is also used to make cream puffs and éclairs. It’s called pate a choux that is French for “cabbage paste”. When baked in a round form, the pastry resembles small cabbages. 

By adding cheese to the “cream puff paste”, you now have gougere. The secret behind the gougere is when the dough bakes; the moisture in them turns to steam and causes the small drops of dough to swell. The exteriors turn golden brown but the interiors become hollow.

We had a little problem with our Gougere. When we removed them from the oven the puffed up pastry fell. They still tasted great but something was lost in the presentation. You can see what I mean in my photo.

Not sure why they collapsed but next time I will add to the cooking time and see if that helps. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Gougere

2/3 cup of water
6 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2/3-cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ cup Swiss cheese, finely diced

How to Prepare at Home

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Always add an additional 5 minutes when you think your oven is at temp.

In a saucepan, bring the water and butter to a rolling boil and immediately remove it from heat.  Immediately add the salt & all the flour while continuously stirring with a wooden spoon until blended and a thick paste forms in the shape of a ball.

Return the pan to a medium-low heat for about one minute or until the pastry leaves the side of the pan. This helps remove any additional moisture. Be sure to keep stirring.

Remove the paste from the heat; transfer it to a mixing bowl and using a wooden spoon, stir in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth and glossy.  Blend in the cheese until it is completely incorporated into the dough. The consistency should be stiff but still allow you to dollop it from a spoon.

Using a pastry bag if you have one or just a spoon if you don’t, make 1-inch diameter dollops of dough to form a ring being sure the sides of the dollops are touching.

Using a pastry brush and egg yolk mixed with a little water, paint a glaze on each puff.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes until the dough puffs up and they are golden in color. Once golden, turn off the oven and let the Gougere sit for 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and loosen the biscuits with a spatula. Let the biscuits cool and serve warm.

We had a dinner party for 8 over the weekend and served pork as the main course with a very cool eggplant Parmesan and a fennel and grape bread that I’ll give you the recipe for now and the others later this week.

Oh, I did start them off with the little appetizer stimulator we had at Solas’ the night before. All I did was cut a fig in half, top it with a little blue cheese and drizzled a little Pomegranate Merlot that I got at ClubSauce.com. I’m not sure if they are even make it any more but you could use any brand of Pomegranate drizzle or even try an aged balsamic vinegar.

I went to ClubSauce and didn’t see the Pomegranate Merlot but they do have an interesting Saba that would work. Saba was popular with the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks over 5,000 years ago so this stuff has staying power.

Fennel and Grape Harvest Bread
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

1-½ cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
2 envelops active dry yeast
3-½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups red seedless grapes, stemmed, rinsed
10 tablespoons sugar
1-teaspoon fennel seeds

Prep the Ingredients

Since you are making 2 separate loafs, you will want to divide the ingredients into two except for the water, yeast and olive oil.

How to Make at Home

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I love soup so I am looking for some interesting cold soups that I can serve on these hot summer days that are both filling and refreshing. I found a great recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Williams-Sonoma’s New Orleans.

What I like about this cookbook besides the wonderful collection of recipes is the photographs and the descriptions of Old New Orleans. It is a mini history book as well as an inspiration for cooking. And a portion of the profits go to help the victims of hurricane.

I wanted to adapt the recipe to make it vegetarian but I didn’t have any Veggie Stock Gold on hand and didn’t have the time or the inclination to make a vegetarian stock on short notice. Veggie Stock Gold is a 20 to 1 classic vegetarian stock made by the same folks who make some of my other favorite stock reductions and demi-glace for sauces. You can learn more about these products and how to use them at www.gatewaygourmet.com.

The recipe calls for using chicken stock but I had some duck stock reduction from these same guys called Glace de Canard Gold also a 20 to 1 reduction but of classic duck stock. It is very similar to chicken stock but has a bit more flavor to it so why not give it a try. I also increased the ingredient amounts to make a little more but I have to warn you, I did not increase the cayenne pepper and everyone thought it was a little to spicy. I liked the extra kick but be careful. I would opt to use less and add more after tasting.

Classic vichyssoise is not made with sweet potatoes (sometimes called yams) but with regular potatoes. I like what they did with this recipe by adding extra color and flavor from the sweet potatoes and ginger. It can be served as a starter but I like it on a hot night with a side of salad for a light refreshing meal. I even had it for breakfast one morning and it was great.

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