Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook simply for the sake and pleasure of it. That is, after all, what this whole blog is about – learning to enjoy cooking and treating yourself to healthy and delicious meals. But sometimes I like to cook to impress the pants off people. And it works out really well when the food you make to impress people is deceptively, almost shockingly easy to make.
That’s how I feel about gougères, which is the fancy French name for what are essentially puffy, cheesy little dough balls. They look so elegant and taste so light and refined that I always feel like a super fancy chef when I make them. The reality is that these guys are pretty basic and easy to make once you get the hang of it, but we won’t tell your friends that, ok? OK.
Before making gougères I started making cream puffs for my dad and me (that was actually my very first post on this blog!), which are filled with a rosewater cream that he and I both adore. When I moved to France, I discovered the savory version of cream puffs, which has the same “choux pastry” base and which are often served as little “amuse-bouches” at bistros and restaurants in Paris.

















