Gougères (cheese choux puffs)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C and grease a baking tray with butter.
2. Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan with the butter pieces and the salt.
3. Take the pan off the heat, add the sifted flour all at once and stir vigorously until a smooth ball forms. Then cook the dough over a low heat for about 1 minute, stirring, until a light white film forms on the bottom of the pan.
4. Let the dough cool briefly, then beat in the eggs one at a time, adding the next only when the previous one is fully incorporated.
5. Stir in the Gruyère, nutmeg and pepper and taste.
6. Using two teaspoons, place small mounds well apart on the tray and, if you like, brush with beaten egg yolk.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes, keeping an eye on them, until the gougères are golden brown. Serve warm.

Drink with it

• White wine · excellent match

  Chablis or other unoaked Chardonnay from Burgundy

  Gougères are the tasting snack of Burgundy's wine cellars: cool acidity and mineral freshness cut through the Gruyère and butter.

  Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing ↗

• Sparkling wine · excellent match

  Crémant de Bourgogne or Champagne, brut

  Bubbles and acidity clear the cheese fat from the palate, and the yeasty, brioche notes mirror the baked cheese crust.

  Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference? ↗

• Fruit liqueur · excellent match

  Kir: dry Aligoté with a splash of crème de cassis

  The quintessential Burgundian aperitif: the blackcurrant brings fruit against the salt, and the high-acid Aligoté keeps the mix fresh.

• Red wine · good match

  Young Bourgogne Pinot Noir, lightly chilled

  Low tannin and red fruit do not disturb the nutty cheese; this is how gougères are served in Burgundy at red wine tastings, too.