Right then, let me tell you about this French food thing I did the other week. It wasn’t some grand plan, really. My sister mentioned she was having a few friends over, kinda last minute, you know how it is. And she was stressing about snacks. I’d just seen something online, maybe a cooking show snippet, about easy French bites. Looked fancy but doable. So, I thought, why not? Give it a go.
First off, I had to figure out what to actually make. Didn’t want anything too complicated, mind you. I’m no chef. I landed on making some gougères – those cheesy puff things – and maybe a simple onion tart, like a pissaladière but, you know, my version. Seemed achievable.
Shopping and Prep
Off to the shops I went. Needed the basics: flour, eggs, butter, milk. Cheese was key for the gougères, grabbed some Gruyère, felt authentic enough. For the tart, onions, obviously, loads of them. Anchovies? Olives? Yeah, chucked them in the basket too. Got back home, cleared the kitchen counter. Always feels like half the battle, just getting the space ready.
- Started with the dough for the gougères. Melting butter and water, then dumping in the flour. Stirring like mad. That part’s always a bit frantic, isn’t it? Trying not to get lumps.
- Then beating in the eggs, one by one. My arm was aching by the end. Seriously.
- Folded in the cheese. Lots of cheese. No skimping there.
- Piped little blobs onto a baking sheet. They looked a bit wonky, not gonna lie.
The Baking Bit
While those were getting ready for the oven, I tackled the onions. Chopping onions. So. Many. Onions. Tears streaming, the usual drama. Sautéed them really slowly, trying to get them soft and sweet without burning them. Takes ages, that does. Patience is not my strong suit. Spread them over some ready-made puff pastry (yes, I cheated, sue me). Arranged the anchovies and olives on top. Felt quite artistic for a second.
Got the gougères in the oven. Watched them like a hawk through the glass. They puffed up! Actually worked. A small victory. Pulled them out, golden brown. Snuck one while it was hot – burned my tongue, naturally. Worth it. Then the tart went in.
The Result, Sort Of
Packed everything up carefully. Headed over to my sister’s. The gougères were a hit, vanished pretty quick. Always a good sign. People seemed impressed, which was nice. The tart was decent too, though maybe a bit strong on the anchovy for some folks. You live and learn, right? It wasn’t perfect, some puffs were flatter than others, the tart base was a bit soggy in the middle (maybe too many onions?).
But honestly? It was good fun. A bit chaotic in the kitchen, sure. But seeing people actually eat and enjoy something you’ve made, even simple stuff like this, feels pretty good. Better than just grabbing a bag of crisps. Might even do it again sometime. Maybe try different fillings for the gougères next time.