Welcome to our #IReadItInABook feature where we eat cauliflower for breakfast, make food for unicorns and beach comb in November. This time we are getting all fancy and making french food. Why? Because we read it in a book!
The Miseducation of Evie Epworth
I first read this book for a Blog Tour last month and was charmed by it’s Yorkshire setting and strong female cast. The book is set around Evie, a 16 year old farmer’s daughter in a coming of age tale. Along the way she dabbles in magic, discovers the Beatles and tackles her deceased mother’s french recipe book. It’s a fab little book, light hearted, joyful and a good summer read.
The challenge
Those of you who follow Book Social will know that this feature has had me in the kitchen several times, not least for porridge. Yet I’ve never tackled french food before. Neither had Evie Epworth until she took on one of the simplest recipes in her mother’s cook book – gougeres. Now I had no idea what these were but the recipe (helpfully set out in the book) seemed simple enough and was made from ingredients I already had in the kitchen. No snails or white truffles required! If Evie could do it I could, I thought and set about making my first ever gougeres (think cheese puffs as Mrs Swithenbank from the book called them).
As Evie mentions in the book, a lot of stirring takes place but they were fairly easy to make, tasted gorgeous and were immediately devoured by my kitchen ‘helpers’. I would kind of describe them as a cheesy pancake cum Yorkshire pudding. I still have no idea how to pronounce them but make them again I will.
Give it a read, and a bake
If you haven’t read the book do, it’s a good one. And if you fancy trying your hand at little cheesy balls of deliciousness here is the recipe. All credit must go to Matson Taylor who included the recipe in his book. I’m sure he would love you to take a picture and tag him on social media with your lovely cheesy attempts (@matson_taylor_)
Gougeres recipe
- Half a pint of milk
- Quarter pound of plain flour (that’s 113 grams to you and me)
- 2 oz unsalted butter cut in to cubes (56/57 grams)
- a pinch of salt
- 4 eggs
- 3 oz gruyere cheese grated – or in Evie’s case a bit of Wensleydale, Red Leicester and anything else to hand
Heat milk in a pan
Add butter and stir
Sift flour into milk mixture whilst stirring (the whilst bit is a little tricky) until it becomes a blob
Take off heat and add eggs ONE AT A TIME stir until each egg is incorporated
Keep stirring
Stir a bit more
and some more
Stir in cheese
blob onto grease proof paper (you can add some more grated cheese on top if you prefer) and cook for 20 minutes. Do not open door during cooking
Smell the delicious smell. Take out of oven and eat before anyone else gets their hands on them.
Bring on the challenges!
If you have a book related challenge you would like Book Social to complete, or if you have done something purely because you read it in a book let us know in the comment section below. Don’t forget to tag us on social media #IReadItInABook