Les Petits Chefs make gougères and chouquettes

This week I was invited to my school’s holiday market cocktail party to sell and sign copies of In the French kitchen with kids so, of course, I put the Petits Chefs to work making some snacks for everyone to enjoy (and sent some home for the boys as well!). I chose something I knew the boys would be able to make in an hour and with very little instruction – chouquettes and gougères. Yes, the boys are very proficient with choux pastry now (imagine!).

A few of the boys have been in my club for a number of years and have made choux pastry a few times before so they are pretty much experts. They know to dump in the flour when the butter/ water is boiling…

And to “stir stir stir” so the flour doesn’t cook on the bottom of the pan…

And how to cool off the mixture before you add the eggs…And how to carefully add in the eggs one by one (I let them use electric hand beaters this week much to their excitement. Since they know what the mixture is meant to look and feel like, stirring by hand isn’t necessary).This week, since time was of the essence, I also let the boys use cookie scoops to form their chouquettes and gougères…

SO much faster than using the two spoon method I typically use and much cleaner than piping bags. It takes a while for them to get used to the way the scoop works (especially because this pastry is really sticky) and for them to realise the do need to make sure the only pastry they have on the scoop is actually IN the scoop (working clean is something I do try to emphasize) as when it’s all around the scoop, it does make it hard to keep the puffs a uniform shape and size. The boys did well…

This week, we also worked with pearl sugar that I had bought from France (you can find it on Amazon too) to make the chouquettes which was a new (and super fun) experience for everyone. (above, I showed the boys how to tip the tray to collect all the pieces of sugar that were on the tray and use it on the puffs. If you don’t, the tray will be a big mess after it’s been in the oven).

Then we waited… What else was there to do but…

(yup, I let them taste the pearl sugar. Better to give them permission to eat a small amount than have them try to sneak more)

We also tasted truly spectacular gruyère that Cheese Boutique had generously donated to the class. Many boys are not huge cheese fans in this group but ALL of them loved this cheese. “It’s not like any cheese I’ve ever had before” said one boy. Indeed!

Meanwhile…

and

Absolutely picture perfect!

Both these treats were devoured by the boys and enjoyed by guests at the cocktail party. Winning all around!

Get the recipe for chouquettes on The National Post.

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