“These little beauties are a lifesaver,” says chef Shaun Kelly, “ready in a matter of minutes with what you’ve always got on hand, and easy to bulk up for big events. You can even freeze the surplus with little loss of quality. It’s pretty much a standard gougère, but the mustard and cheddar give it a little extra kick – perfect with some bubbly. Make sure you use a good cheddar to get the best out of this recipe.”
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 180C and line baking trays with baking paper. Combine butter, mustard, nutmeg and 250ml water in a saucepan and to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to low heat and beat continuously until mixture comes together and is pulling away from the sides of the pan (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, then beat in eggs gradually until smooth (this can be done by hand in the pan or in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment). Beat in cheese and season to taste; depending on your cheese, it may or may not need a little salt. Cool to room temperature, then roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls with wet hands and place on prepared trays. Bake until puffed and golden brown (12-15 minutes), and serve hot.
