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| This recipe has become a staple on our holiday and major celebration menus. The kids love them A LOT - adults devour them too. |
6 slices flavorful bacon (hickory smoked or applewood)
2 ears of fresh corn
1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/4 pound) - if unsalted, add 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated extra sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped chives
- Cook bacon, cool, chop into 1/4 inch pieces.
- Scrape kernels from corn and sauté in a small amount of leftover bacon fat until slightly browned. For the best technique on cutting corn, see the article here,
- Preheat over to 375 degrees.
- In a large sauce pan combine water and butter, heat until butter melts.
- Remove pan from heat and add flour, mix until thoroughly combined. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg into the batter before adding the next. Critical method: use a fork to mix the egg into the batter. A whisk is too flexible and a wooden spoon doesn't incorporate the egg into the mixture fast enough.
- Add bacon, cheeses, chives and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper.
- Use two teaspoons to place mounds of the mixture onto 2 baking pans lined with a silicon mats. The batter yields about 40 pieces.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until gougeres are lightly browned on the bottom and golden atop.
Alternately, you can put the batter into a gallon sized ziplock bag. The dough holds well for a day or two in the fridge. Snip a corner of the zip lock bag and squeeze batter out the tip, like a pastry bag.
Tips:
- Use a fork for mixing the dough.
- Use high quality, extra sharp cheddar. This recipe will be bland if you don't.
- Use high quality Parmigiano. Same thing - it will be bland otherwise.
- Frozen corn can be substituted for fresh with minimal loss of flavor.
