If you love the Burgundy region and its gastronomy, wine, and its lush and verdant ambience, and want to bring home a taste to remember it by, the cookbook At Home In Burgundy – The Papillon Recipes by Eleanor Garvin will take your palate on a delectable trip back to Burgundy with each of her delicious recipes. As a bonus, there are wonderful wine notes and photos by Dennis Sherman to complement Eleanor’s recipes.
The book begins with a story of Eleanor’s and Dennis’ big adventure, followed by chapters: Burgundy Wine, Burgundian Specialties which describe its wonderful products including its special cheeses, foie gras, Jerusalem artichokes, its famous mustard, and so much more, Recipes: The Aperitif, Hors d’oeuvres/Nibbles, The Table: Potages/Soups. Entrées/Starters, Plats/Main Courses, Desserts, The Buffet: Tartes Salées/Tarts, Salades/Buffet Salads, with a helpful index at the back of the book.
We had the pleasure of meeting Eleanor Garvin and Dennis Sherman during a stay at their luxurious 6-guestroom Inn, Domaine de Cromey, located in the heart of Burgundy, and nestled among the vines in St. Sernin du Plain, France, in October 2024, where haute gastronomy and world-class wines are served with elegant and gracious hospitality. Over the course of a multi-course gastronomic dinner, we learned about their passion for cooking and wine, and their endeavors to restore Cromey in 2014 yet retain its wonderful charm and ambience, and add a vineyard on the property, and the result is stunning.
The cookbook, At Home In Burgundy – The Papillon Recipes by Eleanor Garvin is a work of love, with recipes she has cooked and accumulated for over 25 years during her years in France with her husband Dennis. Their adventure began in 1983 when they went to Europe on one-way tickets to apprentice with the great chefs of France. While the best made plans often go by the wayside, Eleanor and Dennis learned along the way, and have had great adventures learning about Burgundian cuisine and wines.
This cookbook is Eleanor’s way of sharing her passion for Burgundian cuisine with readers around the world; for those who have visited Burgundy and want to bring a taste of the region home to remember and share with friends or family, and for those who would like to discover the region through its recipes.
Eleanor Garvin graciously permitted Luxury Experience to reprint her recipe for Gougères – Burgundian Cheese Puffs from her cookbook, At Home in Burgundy – The Papillon Recipes, to share a delicious taste of Burgundy. We had them with aperitifs one night during our stay at Domaine de Cromey and they were wonderful. So, we decided to make the Gougères at home so we could share a memory and taste of Burgundy along with a fine bottle of Burgundy wine.
Homemade Gougères – Burgundian-Cheese Puffs
Gougères – Burgundian Cheese Puffs
Makes 36 Gougères
Eleanor writes, “Gougères are the nibble in Burgundy. That and a kir (dry white Aligoté with a dash of crème de cassis), and you know you ‘re in Burgundy. Gougères are cheese puffs made with pate a choux, one of those mother recipes of French pastry. It is easy to make and extremely versatile. It’s used in desserts such as profiteroles, eclairs, and Paris Brest, and in savory dishes such as pommes dauphine and quenelles, it’s one of the basics worth having in your repertoire.”
Ingredients:
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0.25
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Cup
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Water
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5
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Tablespoons
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Unsalted Butter, plus 2 tablespoons to butter the baking tray
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0.50
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Teaspoon
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Fine Sea Salt
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0.25
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Cup
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Flour
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4
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Medium
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Eggs at room temperature
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0.50
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Cup
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Gruyere or Comté cheese, finely diced
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0.25
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Cup
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Gruyere or Comté cheese, grated
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Freshly Ground Black pepper
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To Finish:
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4
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Tablespoons
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Milk
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0.25
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Cup
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Gruyere or Comté cheese, grated
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190.5 degrees Celsius).
Put a quarter cup of water in a saucepan with the butter and half teaspoon of sea salt. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and stir in the flour all at once. Mix well until it forms a ball. Put the saucepan back on a low heat and stir the mixture vigorously for a minute or two to dry it out. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.
Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture should be shiny and smooth and should hold its shape when dropped from a spoon. If after the third egg, the mixture the mixture holds its shape and is not too stiff, think about adding just half or none of the fourth egg. If the mixture is too soft, the “gougères” will not puff and hold their shape.
Stir in the diced cheese, one quarter of the grated cheese, and the cracked black pepper. Form small balls with a teaspoon, dropping them onto a lightly buttered baking sheet. Brush them with the remaining milk, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake them in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Until next time, Bon Appetit!
Website where you can purchase At Home In Burgundy – The Papillon Recipes by Eleanor Garvin: Amazon
At Home In Burgundy – The Papillon Recipes by Eleanor Garvin
Copyright © 2009
ISBN: 1-4392-3981-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-4392-3981-0
To learn more about staying at Domaine de Cromey, please visit their website: https://www.domainedecromey.com/
Domaine de Cromey
4 rue du Chateau
Cromey Le Haut
St. Sernin du Plain, France 71510
Email: enquiry@domainedecromey.com
Website: https://www.domainedecromey.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DomainedeCromey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/domainedecromey/
Burgundy Wine Website: https://www.burgundywine.com/
Burgundy Wine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EldenSelections?fref=ts
Burgundy Wine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burgundywinedotcom
Elden Wines
Website: www.eldenwine.com
Read more about the Burgundy region in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Wine Cellar, and Luxury Products – Gifts section.
Read more about Paris, France in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, and Arts sections.
For more information on visiting France, please visit the websites: Atout-France: https://www.atout-france.fr/fr and Burgundy Tourism: https://www.burgundy-tourism.com/
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