Having a party or gathering with friends? Class it up with a fancy French appetizer that is easy to make yet decadent, a gluten free gougeres ring. Serve this light and hollow French pastry dough ring that is mixed with cheese filled with cheese dip (beer or wine optional) mixed with sauteed veggies, topped with cream cheese. Also easy to make, are the pastry disks (gluten free pate choux) used to gather the dip. In a nutshell, it all can only be described as indecent. Save your confessions for your scale on Monday and dip away! Did anyone say “appy hour”?
What is Gougères and Pate Choux?
Pate choux (pat a shoe) is dough used to make cream puffs and other light and hallow pastries, whether sweet or savory. Gougères (pronounced: goo jzhair) is pate choux with cheese (
What I Love About This Gluten Free Gougeres Ring Recipe:
I love this recipe because pate a choux reminds a little of my gluten free puff pastry recipe without all of the laborious hours of work. Plus, pate choux doesn’t contain tons of butter like puff pastry. (Happier scale???)
Making Ahead: I recommend making at least the ring and disks at least one day in advance. This gives the dough a chance to dry out further. You can easily make the dip in advance. Making everything in advance gives you two less things to be concerned about when your guests arrive.
The Best Cheese to Use to Make Your Gluten Free Gougeres:
Hard cheese is recommended to make gougères. Gruyère is the typical cheese added to the dough. It is a hard yellow cheese. You can always substitute it with Parmesan if that’s all you have on hand. If you have neither cheese, use any hard or semi-soft cheese, the drier the better. Dry cheese is used because you bake this dough a long time in an effort to dry the dough. You don’t need soft cheese adding additional moisture. So, stick with Gruyère, Parmesan, Asiago or Manchego cheese.
Tips to Make Pate Choux Successfully:
Beat the heck out of those eggs and be sure to add them one at a time. You want to beat air into the dough to create a light and airy baked product.
Do not overcrowd the baking sheet. Use two baking sheets instead. Crowding the baking sheet allows the steam that is escaping from one puff or ring to moisten another.
Bake the dough at least the recommended time. You want the dough to be dry. Do not store the puffs/disks or ring prior to all of the steam escapes and it completely cools. I usually leave my baked puffs or ring out on a wire rack at least overnight.
Fit to be the centerpiece of your appetizer table, this gluten free gougeres is a typical French dish. The dip is laden with cheese, but the pastry dough is not. This dip will surely have your guests gathered closely.
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe Gluten Free Mini Cream Puffs/Pate Choux
- 1 cup shredded Gruyère (or other hard cheese), plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons neutral-flavored oil
- 3 medium bell peppers: green, red, and yellow, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 recipe Cheese Dip
- 4 ounces or more gluten free cream cheese (Philadelphia), sliced into several thin strips (optional)
Instructions:
- Make the dough as instructed at the above link, but fold the cheese into the dough using the paddle attachment of your mixer or a silicone spatula. (I usually only add cheese to the ring. Then leave the rest of the dough plain. Do whatever you wish.) Line two baking sheets with silicone mats (recommended) or parchment paper, if that is all you have. If using parchment paper, add a little dough to the bottom of each of the four corners and smash it under the paper to use as glue. You want to secure the paper so that it doesn't shift while you pipe the dough onto the paper.
- Pipe the dough onto one of the baking sheets, into a ring shape, using a piping bag or device or by hand. It really doesn't have to be fancy. You can lay a few pieces of cheese or even sliced onion on top. The cheese gets super crispy. To the other baking sheet and perhaps a few on the same baking sheet of the ring, pipe about 1 tablespoon of dough, spacing at least 2 inches apart and flatten with moistened fingertips.
- Preheat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion and saute until tender, 7 - 8 minutes; set aside. Feel free to broil them at the end for a minute or so if you wish them to be browner.
- Make the cheese dip at the above link using white wine, gluten free beer, or water. Pour some dip into the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine. Add as much or as little cheese dip as you desire.
- Once the ring and disks bake, immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To speed this up, you can use an ice pick or sharp knife and poke a hole or two on the sides of each of the disks/ring.
- Once you are ready to serve the appetizer, reheat the dip just until it is warm but not too hot, or it will become too runny. Add a little cheese dip to the bottom of the ring and secure it to the serving plate. Allow it to dry a little so that it doesn't move about the plate or for the cheese dip to leak out. Transfer the remaining dip into the center of the ring and top with slices of cream cheese, if using. Lean the disks against the ring and serve immediately. Garnish as desired. You can use bell pepper and shredded cheese, which lets guests know its content. However, any greens such as celery tops or even edible flowers.
- When the disks are all consumed, rip the ring apart and eat as desired.