French Fridays and Gougeres with Dorie

Friday 1 October 2010



I've long been a fan of Dorie Greenspan's cookery books. I think I have every one she's ever published, including some of the earliest ones . . . Sweet Times . . . Waffles . . . and Pancakes. I also am the proud owner of books by other authors that she contributed to such as Baking With Julia and Desserts by Pierre Herme.

I was thrilled when I read that she had another book coming out, Around My French Table, and I signed up to receive it as soon as it became available. It came in the post last week, and I fell in love with it immediately. I can tell that this book and I are going to become very good friends!



I know this is The English Kitchen and one might not expect to find French Food in an English Kitchen, but . . . that is what I love so much about English Cookery and English Cooks. We are not afraid to try new things and to embrace them.

Such it is with me and the food of France. I fell in love with it from my very first trip there.

I was also thrilled to find out that just like the Baking Group that came out of Dorie's last Book, Baking, From My Home to Yours, called Tuesdays With Dorie, they were forming a new cookery group called French Fridays, where every Friday they will be cooking a recipe from this wonderful latest book of hers! I had to join . . . I just had to!



So here you have it a second post from me today. Dorie herself picked the first recipe for us to do from the book, Gougeres . . . delicious little bites of cheesey choux pastry goodness!



Choux Paste and I have a very tenable relationship through the years. I have not always had much success with it . . .and to be perfectly honest . . . it scares the heck out of me. Normally my choux paste ends up kinda eggy and flat, not at all puffy.




This is a fabulous recipe. My pouffs puffed up puffily and light. The flavour of them is incredibly cheesy. I think that I made mine a bit larger than they should have been though and so if I make them again, and I think I will, I'll do them a bit on the smaller size!



Having said that though, they are very, very good and although mine were somewhat on the largish side, they made excellent shells for some delicious Deviled Ham that I threw together for our lunch.



I'm afraid that you'll have to buy the book if you want the recipe, but trust me when I tell you it's worth every penny" Next week's recipe will be Gerard's Mustard Tart. Vive la France!



The deviled ham?? Just a mixture of chopped baked ham, a tablespoon of mayo, a tsp of french mustard, some chopped shallot and chopped gerkins. Easy peazy, lemon squeezy! Nom Nom!

19 comments

  1. Oh Marie!! I was actually thinking of joining this group, but now with surgery coming I may just have to enjoy this through you!
    xoxo Pattie

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  2. I love your slide show of photos! I'm planning on a tuna salad to fill the rest of my cheese puffs at lunch.

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  3. I am so loving the slide show photos! Great idea. Your gougeres turned out beautifully. Excellent job!

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  4. Pattie:(

    Marie.. great slideshow I agree and I love DG..You will excel!

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  5. Loving the slide show Marie!

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  6. What fun... and YUM-YUM! I can't wait for Friday here with you, Marie! Happy Weekend, dear friend--LOVE YOU LOTS ((BIG HUGS))

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  7. Your puffs are beautiful. Check mine out...I made them large too. Why wouldn't we? lol. I love the idea of filling them with something salady for mini sandwiches!!!

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  8. For me is fantastic Marie you make French Fridays to us, because I donta have this book and I love french recipes and Doris, these look really yummy dear. I hope you have a love ly weekend with Todd and Daisie, Huggs and love ya a lot! gloria


    Some days I cannot enter I was with and old PC! xx

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  9. Great idea to fill the puffs. They look wonderful. Love the slide show. I watched it for quite a while just marveling.

    This is going to be fun, isn't it.

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  10. Next time I am going to fill mine for sure. Yours like so good.

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  11. I love your idea of deviled ham with these cheesy gougeres. I have not had deviled ham in years, it use to be an old favorite of mine as a kid; now I want to whip up another batch of these lovely puffs and try them with "deviled ham".

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  12. This amazes me--I've grown up my whole life eating these!! Gordon Ramsey even raves about them....they are known in my home as 'cream puffs' regardless of filling! Sometimes it is homemade Bavarian Creme, other times chicken or tuna salad, or if we're feeling really lazy--instant vanilla or pistachio pudding!

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  13. Gorgeous gougeres! I really like your idea of filling them with deviled ham. I'll be trying that soon!

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  14. I love your slide show! Your puffs are gorgeous- the filling looks yummy!

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  15. Looks wonderful. My son often puts in a request for La Gougere. I usually make a large ring rather than individuals.

    What a great idea filling them with the ham.

    Ann

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  16. At college we were always taught that the eggs must be beaten in by hand or else something dire and terrible would happen to our choux pastry. They lied! A decent powerful electric mixer works just as well and hurts less.

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  17. Love your slide show. Beautiful blog!

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  18. Oh, these look wonderful, and I love the photobucket slide show. And speaking as someone who doesn't know what she's talking about, it's my impression that a lot of crossover exists in French and English cooking, so I say go for it. :-)

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