French Menu First Course: Gruyere Gourges

One of my FAVORITE things in the world is my Gourmet Club. This group of dear friends is comprised of 5 other couples, all of whom are in a Sunday school class together. Our Gourmet Club meets every other month allowing for each couple to host once per year. The host home picks the theme and the menu and sends the recipes out to the members to prepare. The start of our third year is in  September and is my turn to host. Yeah! This year I am excited to  create a French menu. My goal is to get all the recipes up on my blog so that they can easily access them as well as see step by step how to create each dish. I decided to start in order of the meal, so my first recipe post is the appetizer, Gruyere Gourges, with the rest to follow. The menu: Gruyere Gourges (cheese puffs), Butter Nut Squash Bisque with Creme Fraiche and Chives, Frisee Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette and Maple Roasted Apples, Beef Bourguignon with Haricot Verts, Crepe Suzette and Champagne

 Gourges make for a sumptuous first bite and pair perfectly with a glass of chilled Champagne. These pillowy little "souffle" like bites are easy, can be made ahead, and are amazing. Bon Appetite!


Gruyere Gourges
You will need a pastry bag with a large round tip hole and a food processor with a blade attachment

3/4 Cups all purpose flour
3 Eggs (room temperature)
3/4 Cup whole milk
6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1/8 Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 Cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1/8 Cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
Egg wash
Gray Fleur de Sel (French sea salt)
Parchment Paper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place blade in food processor and add eggs and cheese. Place milk, butter, pepper, nutmeg and Kosher salt in a heavy sauce pan. Heat until bubbly, then reduce heat and add flour all at once. Using a wooden spoon constantly stir for 1 to 2 minutes until a dough is formed. Add hot dough mixture to the food processor and pulse several times until smooth and incorporated.  Spoon mixture into pastry bag. Holding the pastry bag still, press out a 2 inch mound (about 2 tablespoons), repeat ensuring the dough is 2 inches apart. Use a wet finger to flatten the point on the dough, Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake one pan at a time, on the middle rack for 18-20 minutes until golden and firm.

Makes about 20 small bite size sevings

Cooks Note: These can be made hours in advance and reheated in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.