Recipes Appetizers Gougères with Smoked Salmon, Caviar and Prosciutto 5.0 (2) 1 Review These cheesy puffs look fancy, but come together in minutes to make any snack feel like an occasion. By Chandra Ram Chandra Ram Instagram Website Title: Associate Editorial Director, Food & WineLocation: ChicagoEducation: Bachelor's in Journalism from Loyola University Chicago Certified Sommelier, Court of Master SommeliersExpertise: cooking, baking, writing, editing, chefs, restaurants.Experience: Chandra Ram is a James Beard- and IACP-nominated food writer, editor, and cookbook author. She worked in restaurants for years before turning to food writing and has won multiple awards for her work, including more than a dozen Jesse H. Neal awards and the McAllister Editorial Fellowship.Chandra has been cooking since she was old enough to help her mother in the kitchen, and parlayed her love of food into a career that keeps her busy between the stove and her desk.As the associate editorial director for food, Chandra strategizes how to produce the tastiest recipes to help readers create delicious food in their home kitchens. She's worked in many different corners of the food world, from bartending at a French restaurant in London to running a catering business in Maine and consulting with restaurant owners on how to improve their menus all over the country.Her writing has been featured in Food & Wine, Food52, Epicurious, Gravy, Kitchn, and Plate. She is a frequent speaker at food events and industry conferences, and an interview subject for podcasts and video programs. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 21, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 55 mins Servings: 4 Gougères are one of those snacks that deliver a lot flavor but are easy to make. A pâte à choux, or cream puff dough, forms the base of the gougères. When making the dough, be sure to cook it on the stove until it pulls away from the sides of the pot; cooking out the water helps the gougeres rise and get crispy when they bake. Then, mix the dough for a couple of minutes to let it cool slightly before adding the eggs. Once the dough is ready, you can pipe it onto a baking sheet and bake immediately, or freeze the mounds of dough and keep them in your back pocket for a last-minute cocktail party or snack situation (frozen gougères can bake straight from the freezer; they will need an extra minute or two in the oven). You can make these as small or large as you like; large gougères can stand in for dinner rolls or even serve as the base for an eggs Benedict at brunch. And have fun experimenting with them. These gougères are made with grated Gruyère cheese and thyme leaves, but you can swap in another grated hard cheese, or use spices and other herbs. We topped these with slivers of prosciutto and smoked salmon and dollops of caviar and crème fraîche, but any toppings will do. Or, simply eat them plain — they shine on their own. Ingredients ½ cup water 3 tablespoons salted butter, cut into cubes ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ½ cup (about 2 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour 3 large eggs 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup), divided 1 ¼ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, divided ½ cup crème fraîche 1 ounce smoked salmon, sliced ½ ounce sevruga caviar (1 tablespoon) ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon) 1 ounce sliced prosciutto Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Heat water, butter, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium until butter is melted, about 1 minute. Add flour all at once, and stir vigorously using a wooden spoon until mixture dries a bit and pulls away from sides of pan, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Carefully pour mixture into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat on low speed until cool and steam is released, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. With mixer running on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until fully incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. (Batter will be lumpy at first but continue beating until batter smooths out.) Stir 1/2 cup of the Gruyère and 1 teaspoon of the thyme into batter. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a wide plain tip or large ziplock plastic bag with tip of 1 corner cut off to create a 1-inch hole. Twist top of bag; pipe dough into 1 1/2-inch mounds (slightly smaller than a ping pong ball) on prepared baking sheet, spacing dough evenly apart. Top each mound evenly with remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and pierce each gougère in the side using a small knife. Return gougères to oven, and bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Spoon crème fraîche evenly onto gougères (about 1 teaspoon each). Top half of gougères evenly with smoked salmon, caviar, and lemon zest; top remaining half of gougères evenly with prosciutto and remaining 1/4 teaspoon thyme. Rate it Print