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NATALIES FAVORITE APPETIZER RECIPE
Gougères and Gougère Sandwiches

My favorite appetizers to serve at dinner parties or even larger gatherings are Gougères and Gougère Sandwiches. Gougères are Burgundian cheese puffs, and of course they pair nicely with Pinot noir (and Champagne).

They are compliment inspiring on their own, but I like to take them one step further. Once these are baked off, I slice them through the middle, fill the cheese puffs, and serve them as tiny one bite sandwiches. These incorporate all of the flavors and mouth feel of a larger classic sandwich, but are easily served in a social setting. If the "mis en place" is prepared prior to putting the Gougères in the oven, this becomes not only a unique and delicious appetizer, but also one of convenience.
The first step in making Gougères is to make a Choux Paste. This is the base for many puff pastries, including éclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles. For our purposes, I have included only the Gougère preparation. I have adapted a recipe that was passed down to me and have used this countless times without fail.

Choux Paste / Gougère Batter

Makes 48 Gougères

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Sift the flour into a small bowl and set aside.
  • Combine the water, milk, butter pieces and salt in a large saucepan .
  • Bring the mixture to a full boil over medium heat, be careful not to scorch the liquid.
  • Add the flour all at once.
  • Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.
  • Continue to cook and stir the mixture for about 1 minute, to eliminate excess moisture.
  • Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Beat the eggs in one at a time with a wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment on a standing mixer.
  • Make sure that the paste is smooth before adding the next egg.
  • Beat the dough until it is smooth and shiny.
  • Add 1/2 cup gruyere cheese and stir to combine.
  • Make ahead: the dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours and does not need to be brought up to room temperature before baking.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat sheets.
  • Measure out about a teaspoon of batter and form into a ball.
  • Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.
  • Sprinkle the dough balls with the remaining Gruyere cheese.
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
  • Remove to a rack.

Bite Sized Sandwiches

While the Gougères are still warm you can slice and fill them, or you can wait until they cool to do so. Two of my favorite tiny sandwich preparations follow.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I had some smoked ribs in the freezer, left over from a summer BBQ which was ideal. But any roasted or braised pork will work as well, often found at deli counters in gourmet grocery stores (I have even seen roasted pork in the meat section, frozen).

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 cups cooked pork (see above)
  • 1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce, either home made or bottled
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Shred the meat with a fork.
  • Pulse 1/2 the meat in a food processor just a few times, so that the meat is almost pureed.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, mix both meats and BBQ Sauce.
  • Core and slice the apples (no need to peel) into very tiny matchsticks.
  • In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar.
  • Toss the apples with the sugar vinegar mixture.
  • Make ahead: both bowls can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours.
TO ASSEMBLE:
  • Slice the Gougères in half width-wise.
  • Heat the pork mixture in the microwave just to warm it up.
  • Scoop about 1 tablespoon pork onto the bottom half of the Gougère.
  • With your fingers, place 3 to 5 matchsticks of apples (vinegar will drain off in bowl) on top of the pork.
  • Place the top of the Gougère on the apples, and serve right away.

BLT Sandwiches

Ultimately, you want to serve these bite sized sandwiches in the summer, when cherry tomatoes are at their peak and plentiful. I recently served these at a dinner party for 25 people here at the winery in February, so I did not have any local fresh tomatoes available. Luckily, last summer I had oven dried many of the cherry tomatoes that we grew in the winery garden and froze them, so we had an alternative to the classic BLT.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 20 strips bacon
  • 24 cherry tomatoes *OR* 20 oven dried or sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
  • 1 head frisee lettuce
  • 1 cup mayonnaise or aioli
INSTRUCTIONS:
  • If using fresh tomatoes, slice them in half and set aside.
  • If using dried tomatoes, puree in a food processor and blend in the mayo.
  • Cut the bacon width wise in to 1 inch squares (it makes it easier to stick the bacon strips in the freezer for ½ prior to cutting).
  • Place bacon squares on a baking sheet.
  • Bake in a pre-heated 375 degrees F oven, turning once until crispy.
  • Make ahead: everything can be made ahead and pulled out right before assembling.
TO ASSEMBLE:
  • Slice the Gougères in half width wise.
  • Spread less than a teaspoon of the plain mayo or tomato mayo on the bottom half.
  • Place a piece of bacon (slightly warmed in the oven if cool) on the mayo.
  • If using fresh tomatoes, place a cherry tomato halve on the bacon.
  • Place a 1 inch piece of frisee on the top of the combo.
  • Put the other half of the Gougère on top and serve.