Heritage Ham Stuffed Gougeres
Yield
makes about 2 dozen
RECIPE Ingredients
- ½ pound Berkshire Pork Boneless Smoked Whole Ham or Berkshire Pork Boneless Smoked Half Ham, roughly chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces crème fraîche
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, divided use
- ½ cup water
- 3½ tablespoons Black Truffle Butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (about 70 grams)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup grated cheese, we used a combination of aged Mimolette & Gruyere
Recipe notes
Make this easy canape recipe with creamy, smoky ham mousse as the delectable filling for truffle butter gougeres. A delicious way to use up leftover ham!
RECIPE Preparation
- Make the ham mousse: Add ham to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken up into pea-sized chunks. Continue to process until very fine, smaller than grains of rice. Set aside. To the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add cream cheese and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add crème fraîche, heavy cream, lemon juice, Dijon, paprika, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix on medium-high until well blended and slightly aerated, about 2 minutes. Fold in reserved ham and half of the chives. Add ham mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a plain ½” tip. Set aside. (Ham mousse can be made a day ahead of time. Cover tip of pastry bag with plastic wrap, secure open end of pastry bag and refrigerate until ready to use.)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water, truffle butter, and a few grinds of black pepper until butter is melted and water is bubbling at the edges of the pan. Lower heat to medium and dump in flour all at once. Stir constantly until mixture pulls away from the pan and forms a smooth dough, continue to stir and cook about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. Place dough in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed, about 15 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Finished dough should form peaks that droop over, and be smooth and glossy. Fold in half of the cheese and the remaining chives.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place dough in a pastry bag with a large plain tip and pipe tablespoon-sized mounds about 2” apart. (Alternatively, scoop out dough using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop.) Top each gougere with a portion of the remaining cheese. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until golden brown and puffed, about 25 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, poke a small slit in the side of each gougere for the steam to escape. Rest on a wire rack until cool enough to work with. Cut each gougere in half. Pipe a mound of ham mousse in each and sandwich together. Serve immediately.
