Gougères

👨‍🍳 Method

1. 1
   In a pot, bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Add the flour all at once and stir over the heat for 1–2 minutes, until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away from the sides.

   Stove

   💡Cooking on the stove dries the dough: that way it absorbs more eggs, and their steam puffs it up in the oven.
3. 3
   Let cool 5 minutes and add the eggs one at a time, beating hard after each, until the dough is smooth and glossy.

   💡Add the next egg only after the previous one is fully absorbed: dough that gets eggs too fast turns runny and won't hold its shape.
4. 4
   Add the Gruyère cheese, half of the Parmesan, the black pepper and the nutmeg and mix.
5. 5
   Drop spoonfuls of dough, each the size of walnut-size ball, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced apart.

   Baking panParchment paper
6. 6
   Sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan on top.
7. 7
   Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) 20–25 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden. Don't open the oven partway through.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Opening the oven partway through lets the steam out and the pastries collapse. Open it only when they are golden and firm.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 8
   Serve hot.