Cabrillo & Herb Gougères

For some, the holidays are a time for family traditions and set meal plans. For others, it's a time for experimenting in the kitchen and creating new traditions. 

This recipe for Cabrillo and herd gougères is pretty hard to beat that you might consider changing plans to add this to the party line-up. 

In French cuisine, a gougère is a baked pastry with savory flavors and cheese. There are many varieties of flavors, but the base is typically the same. The end result is an airy French cheesy puff of goodness that's perfect for appetizers or side dishes. 

About Cabrillo:

In all honestly, these gougères would be delicious with just about any of our hard cheeses including LumberJack, Moonstone and Paso Vino. We think it tastes extra good with Cabrillo because of the blend of goat's and cow's milk for a little extra bite. 

Cabrillo is our Spanish style goat's and cow's milk blended cheese named after the iconic Highway One that runs along the rugged California coastline just minutes from our farmstead. This cheese has a rich, nutty flavor and golden color. 

It's available in 4 and 8 oz. wedges, but we suggest the larger size for this recipe. Can you ever add too much cheese? Never. 

Ingredients:

Yield: ~24 Gougères

• 1 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
• ¾ cup Milk
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 4 Eggs, room temperature
• 1 large wedge Stepladder Creamery Cabrillo (8oz wedge), rind removed, grated or finely shredded
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• ½ tsp dried Thyme
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400℉
2. Combine butter, ½ cup milk and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan. Season with kosher salt and black pepper
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat
4. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan
5. Return the pan to medium heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly
6. Transfer dough to mixing bowl and let cool to the touch
7. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth before adding the next egg
8. Add 1 cup Stepladder Creamery Cabrillo and herbs, mixing until well combined
9. Spoon tablespoon size mounds onto non-stick baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between each gougère
10. Brush tops with remaining ¼ cup milk and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Cabrillo
11. Bake in lower ⅓ or oven until golden, about 20-25 minutes

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