Choux Pastry is blended with Cheese and bits of Celery, then baked into savory Gougères with a crisp shell. Filled with a creamy cheesy center, these bite-size puffs simply melt in your mouth. Perfect light appetizer to share among others or as a great snack.
If you thought these little puffs looked familiar, you’re definitely on to something. If gougères are new to you, think of them as close cousins to cream puffs. Both use a similar base called choux pastry also known in French as, pâte à choux. Yet their flavor contrasts one another. As you might have guessed, cream puffs are sweet whereas, gougères are savory.
If you want to learn more on how to make pâte à choux, take a look in my cream puffs post where you will find images on the cooking process. In that recipe card, there are notes on freezing and how to reheat pastry balls which may be helpful as this gougères recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen. So unless you plan to have all of the puffs eaten in a single day, best practices on properly reheating the extras will help give the best results for a nice crisp shell that’s not overbaked.
Though a good puff should be mostly hollow inside, the distinct savory flavor comes from the shell with 1 and 1/2 cups of cheese! I chose two different cheeses: cheddar for its sharp tang and gruyère for its soft and nutty smoothness. They both melt beautifully within the choux pastry process.
As if that wasn’t enough cheese, I added more by filling some of the balls with neufchâtel cheese. If neufchâtel is not available in your local market, regular cream cheese will do. Don’t forget to check the gourmet section at your grocer. This is where you will most likely find gruyère cheese as well.
So whether you like having a snack on hand to satisfy those savory cravings or in need of an appetizer for hosting a room full of guests, having these little cheese puffs is a great way to test and showcase your skills in French cuisine.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider rating and commenting below. And if you have questions, drop it in the comment box as this may help others as well. I love reading your messages and being able to help when I can. Thank You!
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Three Cheese Celery Gougères
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Choux Pastry is blended with Cheese and bits of Celery, then baked into savory Gougères with a crisp shell. Filled with a creamy cheesy center, these bite-size puffs simply melt in your mouth. Perfect light appetizer to share among others or as a great snack.
Ingredients
GOUGERÈS
- 4 large eggs (200 grams), lightly beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (90 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (3 grams) celery, sliced thin, divided
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) oat milk or whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) water
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (70 grams) cheddar cheese, finely grated
- 1/2 cup (35 grams) gruyère cheese, finely grated
- 1/4 cup (5 grams) fresh celery leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- pinch of sea salt
CHEESE FILLING
- 8 oz (226 grams) neufchâtel cheese or cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons (60 grams) low fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Lay 2 baking sheet pans over one another and line the top layer with parchment paper. Alternatively, slightly crinkle a sheet of aluminum foil, place onto a baking sheet and lay a sheet of parchment paper on top; set aside.*
- In a small bowl whisk together eggs and salt; set aside.**
- In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in 1 cup (90 grams) sliced celery, cook until soft and translucent, about 7 to 8 minutes. Increase heat to high, mix in milk and water, bring to a soft boil. Remove saucepan from heat and mix in flour until just combined. Mixture should clear the sides of the saucepan.
- Return saucepan to low heat; using a smearing motion, stir mixture constantly until it becomes slightly shiny with a wet sandy appearance, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer choux pastry to a large bowl attached to an electric stand mixer with the flat beater attachment. On medium speed, gradually add egg-mixture in a steady stream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process until pastry becomes a thick and smooth gummy paste.
- Add in both cheeses and continue to beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add in celery leaves and paprika, beat once more for 30 seconds.
- Quickly scoop leveled tablespoons of dough, about 1 in tall (2.5 cm) onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 in (5 cm) of space between each mound. Use the back of a spoon lightly coated with vegetable oil or dipped in cold water to evenly shape and smooth the surface of the mounds. Sprinkle remaining sliced celery and sea salt.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven door. Reduce temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown and firm on the surface. Remove gougères from the oven. Using a paring knife, carefully cut a 1/2 inch (1 cm) slit into the side of each pastry to release steam, gougères will be very hot. Allow to cool before filling.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fully softened. Mix in sour cream and parsley. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, with cheese filling and pipe into each slit of the gougères. If you do not have a piping bag, cut each pastry halfway through and spoon cheese filling on the bottom half. ENJOY!
Notes
* With any recipe that calls for a high initial temperature, the pastry dough can be sensitive to browning of the bottoms too quickly. To avoid this, it is important to create a gap of air flow between the baking sheet and the dough. Placing a silicone baking mat can be used but does not create an air gap between the sheet and the mat so it won’t be as effective.
** Good gougères should have a hollow interior with minimal webbing. While many choux pastry recipes call for adding salt to the flour, we instead salt the eggs ahead of time. This step allows the egg proteins to remain intact and uncoil at a lower temperature thus creating a stronger network to the dough to withstand the weight of the cheese and celery.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pastry
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: Cheese Gougères, Celery Gougère, gruyère cheese, savory pastry
Recipe adapted from p. 81 of Cook’s Illustrated French Recipes and inspired by Bake from Scratch.
Recipes Using CHOUX PASTRY (Pâte à Choux)
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