For the choux pastry
- Choux Pastry
- 85 ml / 3 fl. oz water
- 85 ml / 3 fl. oz milk
- 65g / 2½ oz butter
- 100g / 3½ oz plain flour or gluten free plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan
Method
- Dissolve the butter in the water and milk and bring to the boil. Tip in the flour and stir over the heat until the mixture comes away from the side of the pan. Leave to cool a little.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Heat the oven to 200°C, ESSE dial reading middle of HOT. Line baking sheets with baking paper, then pipe small 4cm high blobs of pastry onto the sheets, spaced a little apart. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan then bake for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.
For the filling
- 300g strong cheese, grated
- 1½ tsp English mustard
- Large splash Worcestershire sauce
- 4 medium egg yolks
- 120ml good quality local beer
Method
- Boil the beer and reduce it down to a tablespoon in volume.
- Whizz all the filling ingredients to a thick paste using a food processor.
- Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a very narrow nozzle.
- When the gougères are golden, remove from the oven. As soon as you can handle them, poke a hole in the base of each one with a metal skewer, then pipe no more than 1 tsp filling into each one.
- Set the gougères upright again and return to the oven for 5-8 minutes until deep golden.
- Remove from the oven, leave to stand for 2-3 minutes, then serve, warning people to watch out for the hot filling.
Recipe provided by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen.
