The Complete Book of Pizza, p. 58
GOUGERE:
1 ¼ cup
water
1 cup (8
tbsp.) unsalted butter
½ tsp.
salt
Pepper
1 ¼ cup
unbleached all-purpose flour
5 eggs
2 cups
grated Swiss cheese
FILLING:
1 lb.
fresh spinach leaves
½ lb.
fresh mushrooms
½ cup
chopped onion
4 tbsp.
unsalted butter
2 tbsp.
vegetable oil
2 tbsp.
flour
1 cup
half and half
1 large
tomato
½ lb.
Swiss cheese, sliced thin
Salt and
pepper
This is a pretty dish as well as a tasty one. The cheese
pastry will puff up attractively and its flavor is a perfect complement to that
of the vegetables. Make it in a baking dish that is 9” x 9” x 2”. To serve six.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Use 1 tbsp. of butter to thoroughly
grease the inside of the baking dish. Put the water, butter, salt and a little
pepper in a pot and bring the water to a boil. Pour in all of the flour at once
and stir until the ingredients are well mixed. Put the dough in a bowl and let
it cool for a few minutes, stirring all the while. Add the eggs individually,
stirring each into the mixture before you add the next. Then stir in the grated
Swiss cheese. When all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, spread the
mixture in the buttered baking dish. Line the bottom of the dish and the sides
with the pastry. You may use your fingers or the back of a spoon to spread the
mixture evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. Do not open the oven during this initial
baking period.
Melt 2 tbsp. of butter and 2 tbsp. of oil in a saute pan.
Saute the chopped onions over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Wipe the
mushrooms clean with a slightly damp cloth or mushroom brush and slice them
thin. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for another 5 minutes.
 |
| There is no more comforting smell in the world than mushrooms sauteeing in butter. |
Season with
a little salt and pepper and remove the mushrooms and onions to a bowl. Put
another 2 tbsp. of butter in the pan and let it melt. Add 2 tbsp. of flour and
stir with a wire whisk until the butter and flour form a smooth paste. Cook
over low heat for 4 minutes, then begin to add the half and half a little at a
time. Stir with the whisk constantly. When all of the half and half has been
added, you will have a smooth, thick cream sauce. Put the mushrooms and onions
back into the pan with the sauce.
Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and remove the tough
stems. Steam the spinach leaves for 3 minutes until they have barely wilted.
Add the spinach to the creamed mushrooms. Taste for seasoning and add more salt
if necessary.
Remove the gougere from the oven after it has baked for 20
minutes. You will have a puffy pastry crust.
 |
| Puffy indeed! And amazing! |
Pour the creamed spinach and
mushrooms into the crust and cover with slices of tomato. Place the sliced Swiss
cheese on top and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
 |
| Confession: I got crunched for time and since the spinach-wilting process takes a while I only ended up using half the spinach I was supposed to. It still tasted good! |
 |
| Done! And delicieux! |
My Rating: 5/5 "Holy everything is is one of the best foods I've ever made. The pastry? Incredible - almost indescribably so with its wonderful consistency and lightly cheesy flavor. The veggies? Perfect for each other and for the sauce they're in. The cheese? Well I'm a huge Swiss cheese junkie to begin with, so no surprise there that I loved it. A couple of cautions: This is not good for you. (It's French cooking.) It also takes a really long time to make. But it's worth every calorie and every minute, I promise."
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