French Fridays with Dorie: Gougeres

Happy Friday everyone!  I just joined the cooking group, French Fridays with Dorie and we're collectively cooking our way through her cookbook, Around My French Table.  I was a part of the baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie a while back, but I had to quit when I moved to El Paso. I couldn't find the time to do it with work.  By the time things had died down here, the group had closed to new membership and I couldn't wait for another group to start.

I have to admit, when you flip through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan, it can be a little intimidating especially to someone who spends more time baking then cooking.  And French recipes at that?  Totally out of my comfort zone.  But that's exactly what I want this experience to be.  I want it to challenge me!  And the recipes in the book are just downright tantalizing and I can't wait to try them and share them with my family and friends.

Dorie Greenspan herself chose this entire month's worth of recipes--and what a great and easy start with the Gougeres, which are essentially cheesepuffs.  Honestly, the cheese rolls at Red Lobster don't stand a chance against these guys.  They are fantastic, light and fluffy, especially right out of the oven.  They were so easy to make.  Just a few ingredients and in and out of the oven in just under an hour. 

The recipe calls for Gruyere or cheddar cheese.  I was sorely disappointed that I didn't get the Gruyere this time around.  I used what I had around the house, which was cheddar.  I can't wait to do it with Gruyere and do try several variations--perhaps putting in some garlic!  Yum!

Supposedly, you can find these all over France.  My best friend, Chrissy, and I visited France for a day during our R&R from Iraq.  I guess we didn't look hard enough because it would have been fabulous to try these out over there.

Dorie recommended enjoying these with a glass of white wine, champagne or kir.  I served ours up with a white wine and a pasta dish.  She was right-on!  Because it's just the hubby and me, I baked us half a dozen.  I froze the rest on the pans, waited for them to get solid and put them in plastic freezer bags.  Now they'll be instantly ready to enjoy whenever I feel like treating myself again.  I have about 1 1/2 dozen in the freezer.

Unfortunately, the cooking group doesn't allow us to post the recipes, so you'll have to go out and get the cookbook yourself.  Not only is it a spectacular compilation of recipes, but Dorie tells such wonderful stories about her experiences.  Definitely recommend it!

Shrimp Wonton Cups & Coconut Pineapple Bars

Wow! This is my first cooking/baking post in, like, over a year. I can't believe it. It's just that I've been so busy since I moved to El Paso a year ago, that I kinda just stopped cooking/baking. This weekend, I was invited to a friend's house for dinner and I decided to get off my butt and make something. And I thought that I'd start of nice and simple just to ease back into everything. And I hope it doesn't stop here. With the baby coming in two months, I'll have to start cooking more!

First off, I wanted to make an appetizer. So I made these Shrimp Wonton Cups. They're so easy to make and delicious. Now, I'd rather deep fry wontons any day, but I suppose baking it, like this recipe calls for, makes it just tad bit healthier. Only, I found that the shells soften up a little to quickly for my taste. And, these cups taste best when served immediately out of the oven. By the time I got to my friend's house on the other side of town, not only had the wonton cups softened, but the cheese was no longer hot and stringy. Apparently, no one else noticed. They were practically all gone. I'd consider this a hit!

Shrimp Wonton Cups
(taken from the Pampered Chef Celebrate! Cookbook)


24 square wonton wrappers
1 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
10 oz. shelled, deveined, cooked, medium shrimp, chopped
2 green onions with tops, finely chopped
1/3 cup grated carrot
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozarella


1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Using a pastry brush, brush one side of each wonton square with melted butter. Press each wonton, butter side up into muffin cup. Bake 8 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Remove pan from oven to cooling rack.

2. Finely chop green onions and grate the carrots. Combine cream cheese, pressed garlic, and worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Blend well. Stir in chopped shrimp, green onions, carrots and mozarella cheese.

3. Using a small scoop, fill each wonton with a rounded scoop of the cream cheese mixture. Bake 5 minutes or until wontons are golden brown and filling in bubbly around the edges.

Enjoy! See how easy that was? Now for dessert...you guys know that being from the islands and all, I love anything with pineapple and/or coconut. So I made these yummy Coconut-Pineapple Bars that were to die for! Now the bars have a cake-like consistency. I think I'm going to have to come up with a good frosting for this. Anyone have ideas?

Coconut-Pineapple Bars
(from Simply Better, Easy Potlucks, May 2006)

1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 20-oz. can drained crushed pineapple
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 c chopped nuts toasted (if desired)
1/2 c shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease 3-quart rectangular, baking dish. Set aside

2. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and baking soda. Add eggs, pineapple, and butter. Stir until combined. Fold in nuts and coconut. Spread mixture in prepared baking dish.

3. Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in dish on wire rack. Cut into bars.

And there you have it! Again, I'm going to try to post more recipes here in the future. Hope you guys stop by again!