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If you want to serve rolls that are a little daintier this holiday season, consider Smoked Provolone Gougères (pronounced goo-zshair). The cheese puffs are light, fluffy and sure to please.
They’re made with a French choux pastry. Sounds fancy, but it’s really easy.
You simply blend the ingredients in a pot on the stove and pipe them onto a baking sheet. I use a disposable pastry bag with a large star tip, but a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off works just as well.
When you’re ready, bake them for 25 minutes, or bake them the day before and reheat them in the oven or microwave just before serving. Honestly, they’re even tasty at room temperature.
I used smoked provolone cheese, but you can use any blend of shredded cheese. I like the smoky flavor, but cheddar, pepperjack or Swiss would all taste great, too.
Smoked Provolone Gougères
Ingredients
- 1 cup 235 grams water
- 1 stick, 1/2 cup or 110 grams butter
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup 145 grams all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups 170 grams smoked provolone cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (235C).
- Place water, butter and salt in a saucepot over high heat. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to medium heat and cook 3 minutes to cook flour, stirring with a bamboo spatula.
- Remove from heat. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time, ensuring that each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the cheese, until blended.
- Place the dough into a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe into 2-inch circles onto a silpat-lined sheet pan.
- Bake in the preheated 450-degree F (235C) oven for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175C). Continue baking for 20 minutes.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these with leftover smoked provolone that I had from Christmas. I didn’t have a pastry bag so just put them on the pan with a spoon. They looked just as nice and were delicious. Also easy to make.
What a great idea for leftover cheese.
I actually have everything on hand to make these! I used to make them all of the time at a restaurant I worked at. These would be perfect for Thanksgiving!!!