Goats' Cheese Gougere
Serves 6
From the book Good Food No Fuss by Anne Willan
Pastry
4 1/2 ounces Gruyere cheese
1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut in pieces
4 eggs
For Topping:
4 1/2 ounces goats' cheese (about 3/4 of a log)
1 TBSP chopped thyme, rosemary, sage or tarragon
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp olive oil (for brushing), more for the pan
Heat oven to 375. Brush a tart or quiche pan with olive oil. Cut the Gruyere into a dice and the goats' cheese into 6-8 slices.
For the cream puff pastry: Sift the flour onto a sheet of paper. In a small saucepan heat the milk, salt and butter until the butter is melted. Bring to a boil, take from the heat and immediately add all of the flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for a few moments until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan to form a small ball. Beat 1/2 to 1 minute over low heat to dry the dough slightly, just until it starts to stick to the base of the pan. Take the dough from the heat and let cool 2-3 minutes.
Beat the eggs, one by one, into the dough, using woden spoon or hand held electric mixer. Adding just the right amount of egg is the key to cream puff pastry, so break the last egg into a bowl, whisk it to mix, and add a little at a time, you may not need all of it. At the end the dough will be shiny and just fall from the spoon. Beat in the diced Gruyere.
Spread the dough evenly into the tart or quiche pan using the back of a spoon. For a more rustic look, simply spread the dough in a round on an oiled baking sheet.
Sprinkle with the herbs and garlic, leaving a 3/4 inch border of dough. Top the herbs with goat cheese rounds, the dough will show between them. Brush the cheese rounds with olive oil.
Bake in the oven until the dough is crusty and brown and the goats'cheese is toasted, 45-50 minutes. The gougere will puff and then deflate as it cools.
Serve warm, cut into wedges.
Great served with Burgundian wines.