French Fridays and Gougeres with Dorie

I've long been a fan of Dorie Greenspan's cookery books. I think I have every one she's ever published, including some of the earliest ones . . . Sweet Times . . . Waffles . . . and Pancakes. I also am the proud owner of books by other authors that she contributed to such as Baking With Julia and Desserts by Pierre Herme.

I was thrilled when I read that she had another book coming out, Around My French Table, and I signed up to receive it as soon as it became available. It came in the post last week, and I fell in love with it immediately. I can tell that this book and I are going to become very good friends!



I know this is The English Kitchen and one might not expect to find French Food in an English Kitchen, but . . . that is what I love so much about English Cookery and English Cooks. We are not afraid to try new things and to embrace them.

Such it is with me and the food of France. I fell in love with it from my very first trip there.

I was also thrilled to find out that just like the Baking Group that came out of Dorie's last Book, Baking, From My Home to Yours, called Tuesdays With Dorie, they were forming a new cookery group called French Fridays, where every Friday they will be cooking a recipe from this wonderful latest book of hers! I had to join . . . I just had to!



So here you have it a second post from me today. Dorie herself picked the first recipe for us to do from the book, Gougeres . . . delicious little bites of cheesey choux pastry goodness!



Choux Paste and I have a very tenable relationship through the years. I have not always had much success with it . . .and to be perfectly honest . . . it scares the heck out of me. Normally my choux paste ends up kinda eggy and flat, not at all puffy.




This is a fabulous recipe. My pouffs puffed up puffily and light. The flavour of them is incredibly cheesy. I think that I made mine a bit larger than they should have been though and so if I make them again, and I think I will, I'll do them a bit on the smaller size!



Having said that though, they are very, very good and although mine were somewhat on the largish side, they made excellent shells for some delicious Deviled Ham that I threw together for our lunch.



I'm afraid that you'll have to buy the book if you want the recipe, but trust me when I tell you it's worth every penny" Next week's recipe will be Gerard's Mustard Tart. Vive la France!



The deviled ham?? Just a mixture of chopped baked ham, a tablespoon of mayo, a tsp of french mustard, some chopped shallot and chopped gerkins. Easy peazy, lemon squeezy! Nom Nom!