Smoked Salmon Gougere

Sometimes I think I must have born in the wrong place, there are so many European traditions that really appeal to me. Take for example the Italian custom of Aperitivo, a sort of cocktail hour with snacks. This ritual encourages one to take a pause and transition gradually into a state of relaxation at the end of the day. It's intended to open one's palate for the evening meal, but without the mind-numbing effects of a martini on an empty stomach.

The cocktail can be as simple as a chilled glass of Prosecco, or adding a splash of Aperol or Cocchi Americano to make a Sprtiz. For something a little stronger, the Negroni is a popular option. To make a proper Negroni, I'll refer you to chef Gabrielle Hamilton's instructions.

Since I'm a bit of a light-weight, I'll stick with something with a lower alcohol content and some bubbles, like a Spritz.

Americano Spritz

Pour 1 ounce Cocchi Americano into a champagne flute and top off with chilled Prosecco, garnish with a twist of orange zest, and enjoy!

For a little snack to accompany our cocktail, let's make a few cheese gougere. 

Gougere are simply basic choux pastry with grated cheese incorporated into the batter. Choux pastry is a little bit of work, but not difficult to master. If you've never tried choux, or the process intimidates you, check out this great class on Skillshare by Marie Asselin, she demonstrates the each step and provides both sweet and savoury recipes for choux pastry.

But honestly, it's really pretty easy. The better-half (a novice baker) mastered it on his first try, unsupervised.

The batter freezes really well, just freeze the unbaked individual gougere on a cookie sheet and then bake from frozen, adding about 5-10 minutes to the baking time. This way you can bake off just a few, whenever the urge strikes you. A couple of cheese puffs to enjoy with a cocktail before dinner or a late night glass of wine is always a good thing.

Cheese Gougere filled with Whipped Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon

Yup, as if gougere weren't delicious enough on their own, I've gone and stuffed them with creamy smoked salmon goodness.

This recipe will yield about 2-3 dozen, depending on how big you make your gougere.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups finely grated hard cheese (Gruyere, old cheddar, or smoked Gouda are my favourites)
• optional- 1 egg (lightly beaten) for egg wash

Gladys

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the milk, water, and butter in a medium saucepan over high heat.
• Gently stir until butter is melted and mixture just comes to a boil.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, stir with great gusto until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
• Return the pot to the heat, reduce to low, and continue to stir vigorously for another minute or two until the dough is nice and smooth and comes together into a ball.
• Transfer dough into a large bowl to mix by hand with a wooden spoon and lots of elbow grease, or to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. I'm going the easy route and using Gladys for this job.
• Add each egg, one at a time, mixing thoroughly at medium speed before the next addition. The dough will be smooth and sticky.
• Add the grated cheese and mix until incorporated.
• To form the gougere you could use a piping bag or just drop heaping tablespoons of dough on to the parchment lined baking sheets and smooth them over with a damp finger. Place them about 2 inches apart to allow for the puffing that will occur during baking.
• For a richer golden brown colour on the finished product, brush the tops of each gougere with egg wash before baking. Omit this step if you plan on freezing the unbaked dough.
• Put the gougere in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 375F.
• Bake for 15 minutes, rotate your baking pans, and continue to bake for another 12-15 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

To make the filling, whip the following ingredients in the bowl of your food processor fitted with the steel blade until smooth:

• 125 grams cream cheese
• 50 grams Nova Scotia smoked salmon
• about 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• optional - add a sprig of fresh dill, finely chopped

Once the gougere are cool, split them with a small paring knife and fill each with a small dollop of the cream cheese mixture. You could also use a piping bag for a more decorative look if you're feeling particularly fancy!

Serving up a couple of delicious treats for aperitvo seemed like a nice way to welcome everyone back to the blog after my extended hiatus. You've got some fantastic content coming your way; some travel, some tutorials, and as always, lots of amazing food!

Our first destination will be a small Italian town on the Adriatic coast, So, of course, there will some seafood on the menu. Simple recipes that can be easily prepared in the most bare-bones sort of vacation rental kitchen. Can you guess where we are headed?