Best Gougères Au Crabe French Cheese Puffs With Crab Recipes

GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a rapid boil in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low, and immediately start stirring energetically with a wooden spoon or heavy whisk. The dough will come together and a light crust will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring-with vigor-for another minute or two to dry the dough. The dough should now be very smooth.
• Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or into a bowl that you can use for mixing with a hand mixer or a wooden spoon and elbow grease. Let the dough sit for a minute, then add the eggs one by one and beat, beat, beat until the dough is thick and shiny. Make sure that each egg is completely incorporated before you add the next, and don't be concerned if the dough separates-by the time the last egg goes in, the dough will come together again. Beat in the grated cheese. Once the dough is made, it should be spooned out immediately.
• Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each gougère , drop the dough from a spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of puff space between the mounds. Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each gougère, drop the dough from a spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of puff space between the mounds. Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are golden, firm, and, yes, puffed, another 12 to 15 minutes or so. Serve warm, or transfer the pans to racks to cool.
• Serving
• Gougères are good straight from the oven and at room temperature. I like them both ways, but I think you can appreciate them best when they're still warm. Serve with kir, white wine, or Champagne.
• Storing
• The best way to store gougères is to shape the dough, freeze the mounds on a baking sheet, and then, when they're solid, lift them off the sheet and pack them airtight in plastic bags. Bake them straight from the freezer-no need to defrost-just give them a minute or two more in the oven. Leftover puffs can be kept at room temperature over night and reheated in a 350-degree-F oven, or they can be frozen and reheated before serving.

GOUGèRES AU CRABE (FRENCH CHEESE PUFFS WITH CRAB)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Bring water, butter, salt and pepper to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the dry mustard.
• Remove pan from the heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the forms a ball, and continue to stir for 1 more minute. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool a bit.
• Place dough in bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add 1 egg at a time and beat at medium speed just until the egg is incorporated into the dough. Repeat with remaining eggs, one at a time, until the dough is smooth and glossy. Add crab, green onions and 1 cup of the cheese to the mixing bowl, and beat until well blended.
• Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart (as they will puff up). Or, if you prefer, you can place the dough into a pastry bag with a large plain tip, and pipe tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of Puffs.
• Place baking sheet on top rack of oven, and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until they're puffed and lightly browned all over.