Amazing Alain Ducasse’s Gougères Recipe

Cheesy puffs? But not your regular sweet ones

Includes:

• History and development
• Ingredients
• Directions
• Tips
• Facts

Know me a little, please!

Alain Ducasse Gougères are classic French savoury pastries
crafted from choux pastry (pâte à choux) combined with grated cheese — usually Gruyère, Comté, or
Emmental. Gougères originated in Burgundy, especially the Yonne and Côte-d’Or regions. They were
a staple of Burgundian delicacies considering that at the least the
19th century. Historically, they were served at wine tastings in
Burgundy’s vineyards — salty, cheesy bites that pair perfectly with
neighbourhood white wines.
The pastry method is the same as for sweet cream puffs or éclairs, but
the addition of cheese and occasionally spices make them savoury.
Alain Ducasse, the distinguished Monégasque chef with multiple
Michelin stars, did not invent Gougères — they are a local
conventional a long way older than him — however he is recognised
for elevating and perfecting conventional recipes. Modern
refinement: In Ducasse’s kitchens (from Louis XV in Monaco to
Plaza Athénée in Paris), Gougères regularly seem as a polished
amuse-bouche — heat, sensitive, flawlessly puffed, and made with
awesome cheese.
Alain Ducasse model might consist of subtle twists — like using elderly Comté, including a sprint of
nutmeg or black pepper, or shaping them very exactly for uniformity. Culinary philosophy: His use of
Gougères reflects his broader ethos: showcasing French terroir and craftsmanship even as respecting
traditional recipes. At Ducasse’s restaurants, Gougères are often served heat with Champagne or
Burgundy wine — honouring their authentic reason as a wine associate. Gougères are a beloved
Burgundy specialty courting again centuries. Alain Ducasse didn’t invent them — but like many
amazing cooks, he helped keep them alive and improved in best dining, making them a stylish symbol
of French culinary background.

Ingredients: The Choux Pastry Base

Instructions

• 125 ml (½ cup) complete milk
• one hundred twenty-five ml (½ cup) water
• one hundred g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, diced
• 1 pinch excellent sea salt
• 1 pinch ground white pepper (optionally available)
• A tiny pinch freshly grated nutmeg (non-obligatory
• Ducasse every so often uses this for warmth)
• 150 g (approximately 1¼ cups) all-motive flour,
• sifted
• 4 huge eggs (room temperature)
• 1 cup finely grated aged Comté or Gruyère cheese
• plus a little more (as per your preference) for sprinkling
• on top

Steps to Follow

Step 1: Preheat your oven to two hundred degrees Celsius. (or 390°F)

Step 2: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat

Step 3: In a medium saucepan, integrate the milk, water, butter, salt, and any spices (pepper, nutmeg). Bring to a boil over medium warmness

Step 4: Once the butter is melted and it boils, do away with from the heat and add the flour, stirring vigorously with a wood spoon or spatula until it seems like a smooth even ball

Step 5: Return the pan to low warmness. Stir continuously for 1–2 minutes to cook out extra moisture — the dough needs to turn away from the sides and shape a clean ball

Step 6: Transfer the dough to a blending bowl. Let it cool for three–5 mins so it doesn’t cook the eggs

Step 7: Beat inside the eggs separately, mixing nicely after each addition

Step 8: The dough should be smooth, glossy, and pipeable — no longer runny. Stir inside the grated Comté or Gruyère until evenly disbursed

Step 9: Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1–2   cm spherical tip. Pipe small mounds (approximately three–four cm huge) onto the covered baking sheet, spacing them well apart

Step 10: Sprinkle each gougère with a bit extra grated cheese for added  

crispiness 

Step 11: Bake at two hundred degrees Celsius (390°F) for 10  

mins, then lower the warmth to a hundred- and eighty-degree 

Celsius (350°F) and bake for some other 15–20 mins, or until  

puffed and golden brown

Step 12: Do no longer open the oven door early — the steam   is what makes them puff

Step 13: Serve warm, preferably with a tumbler of Champagne or a  

crisp Burgundy white

Tips

• For extra refinement, you may dirt with a tiny pinch of finely floor pepper or a few micro herbs simply earlier than serving
• Use elderly Comté (18–24 months) for deeper, nutty taste — just like Alain Ducasse kitchens

• Gougères are pleasant eaten freshly baked, but you could freeze them unbaked: pipe onto a tray, freeze, then bake at once from frozen (adding a few minutes).

Still here? Know me a little more then!!

Classic Burgundian Roots, Alain Ducasse Precision Gougères come from Burgundy — they’re
rustic village snacks historically served with wine tastings. Alain Ducasse keeps this spirit
alive however transforms them into refined amuse-bouchées in his Michelin-starred eating
places.
Signature Welcome Bite: At many Ducasse restaurants (like Le Louis XV in Monaco or Alain
Ducasse at The Dorchester in London), heat gougères are regularly presented as a
complimentary bite to welcome visitors. They characterize French hospitality: heat,
comforting, and fashionable.

• Always Perfectly Piped: In Alain Ducasse kitchens, precision subjects: gougères are piped into uniform shapes for regular texture and ideal presentation. The technique guarantees they puff evenly and feature that signature crisp shell and ethereal indoors

• Showcasing Terroir: Alain Ducasse regularly highlights local cheeses: elderly Comté, Gruyère, or sometimes a special local cheese, relying on the place. This tie returned to his philosophy of
• celebrating French terroir — the land, manufacturers, and lifestyle

• Made for Wine Gougères’ saltiness and cheesiness pair ideally with Burgundy whites or
• Champagne — a nod to their historic position at wine tastings in Burgundy’s cellars.

• Simple, however Demanding: While the ingredient list is short, best gougères require ability: learning pâte à choux is a rite of passage for French cooks. Overmixing, underbaking, or poor piping can break the airy texture

• Culinary Teaching Tool: Ducasse’s culinary faculties, like École Ducasse, train students to make gougères as a conventional pâte à choux exercising — because if you could master gougères, you may master profiteroles, éclairs, and different choux-based totally pastries

• Gougères are not just a snack — they’re a symbol of Burgundy’s culinary subculture. By providing them in his Michelin-starred eating places, Alain Ducasse keeps a humble nearby classic alive and relevant on the sector degree. He reminds diners that real luxurious frequently lies in the handiest, most proper bites

• They flip a simple cheese puff into a fashionable culinary signature

• In Ducasse’s eating places and culinary colleges, gaining knowledge of gougères manner mastering pâte à choux, an essential constructing block of French pastry and savoury cuisine alike. They train young chefs in precision, timing, and respect for elements — all hallmarks of Alain Ducasse philosophy

• Ducasse’s gougères show how rustic, nearby food can end up delicate haute cuisine — without losing its soul. They’re served inside the identical spirit they’ve always been heat, shareable, and supposed to enhance excellent wine and conversation. They embody the idea that high-quality eating can honour subculture even as raising it

• By using the exceptional Gruyère or Comté, often sourced from small manufacturers, Alain Ducasse ties this simple pastry to the idea of terroir — the specific flavour of a place. It’s a tiny bite that connects guests to the areas of France. It’s now not only a cheese puff — it’s a story of French land and craft