Thyme Gougere

I've made these a couple of times now, and while they aren't the prettiest gougere I've ever seen, they sure do taste fantastic. (I'm sure I just need to work on my execution) The first time I made them, they were giant, and I ended up serving them instead of dinner rolls with our late Thanksgiving dinner. The second time, I made them a day in advance, piping them out of a pastry bag, and reheating them in my Mum's warming oven for Christmas Day hors d'ouveres. While I like traditional, Gruyere gougeres, the addition of thyme gives them a fresh, savoury bite that just seems to work.

Thyme Gougere (makes 45-50)

6 Tbsp butter
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 cup flour
3 large eggs
4 oz Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
small handful fresh thyme, chopped
milk for brushing

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter, water, salt and pepper to a boil. Pull from the heat.

Dump the flour in all at once and beat until smooth with a wooden spoon. You will see the mixture pull away from the sides of the pan and form a ball.  Put the pan back on low heat and beat for a minute, drying the paste a bit. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition. Look for a smooth, glossy and soft paste that falls easily from the spoon.

Stir in the cheese and thyme.

Using a pastry bag, or spoon, form 1" balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with milk. Bake approximately 25-35 minutes, until puffed up and lightly browned.

Enjoy! Little bites of airy yumminess.