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May 13, 2012

Recipes Inspired by Musicals: Beauty and the Beast

With all the musicals that have inspired my recipes (see December 2011 and July 2011), it’s hard to believe I haven’t mentioned a Disney musical yet.  I grew up on Disney movies – Snow White was the first I saw; Dumbo was the first to make me cry – and I’ve continued to love them as an adult. 
I liked the premise of Beauty and the Beast before I even saw it.  A book-loving heroine who forgoes the handsome male?  Who rescues her father without relying on the handsome prince to do it for her?  Who falls in love with someone because she sees his inner kindness?  This couldn’t possibly be a major Hollywood release, could it?
The staff of the castle were placed under the same enchanted spell as the Beast, and will only be released when someone falls in love with him.  Naturally, they try to initiate a romantic interest between he and Belle.  Lumière, the French candlestick, shows Belle the feast they’ve laid out in her honour.  As the staff sings “Be Our Guest”, there’s a panoply of food to be inspired by:
“Soup du jour, hot hors d’oeuvres
Why, we only live to serve
Try the grey stuff – it’s delicious –
Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes.”
“Beef ragout, cheese soufflé
Pie and pudding en flambé
We’ll prepare and serve with flair
A culinary cabaret!”
How to choose one recipe from all that?  As tempted as I was to recreate “the grey stuff”, I went with the hot hors d’oeuvres.  And nothing fit the bill like Ina Garten’s Gougères (Cheese Puffs).  Even Lumière would have been impressed by these hot pastries – airy and cheesy, and a perfect start to an elegant meal.  Try one of these and as, the song says, they’ll
“make you shout ‘Encore!’
And send us out for more
So, be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!”
Gougères
(from Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground back pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese, lightly packed, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg over medium heat, until scalded.  Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.  Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for two minutes.  The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan.  Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  (Note: I used my beaters for this step, and they worked fine.)  Immediately add the eggs, Gruyère and Parmesan, and pulse until the eggs are incorporated and dough is smooth and thick.
Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip.  Pipe in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4 inch high onto the baking sheets.  With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff.  Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch of Gruyère.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown outside but still soft inside.
These should be eaten warm.  If you like, you can make them in advance, freeze them, and heat and serve.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes Inspired by Musicals

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gloria says

    May 13, 2012 at 9:34 am

    Beauty and the beast is one of my favorites movies!"
    and thid recipe is really nice!
    happy mothers day!!

    Reply
  2. Belinda says

    May 13, 2012 at 10:47 am

    One of my favorites…maybe because her name was "Belle" and it kind of sounded like mine. Thees puffs are WOW!!!

    Reply
  3. Rita says

    May 13, 2012 at 10:54 am

    This is something I have always wanted to make, so it is being saved; yours looks wonderfully fluffy.Beauty and the Beast was a so good!even my husband enjoyed it.
    Your chocolate cake was a hit!thank you for sharing this one Beth.
    Rita

    Reply
  4. LDH says

    May 13, 2012 at 11:03 am

    One of my favorite Disney movies and a enchanting post with a delightful recipe 🙂

    Reply
  5. From the Kitchen says

    May 13, 2012 at 11:30 am

    What a delicious Disney-inspired treat! My husband and I watched "Fantasia" recently. I liked it so much better than when I was a child.

    Best,
    Bonnie

    Reply
  6. Valerie says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    That has to be one of The best Disney songs, ever! I can easily see these beautiful gougères placed in front of Belle.

    Now I'm going to go around all day singing "Be Our Guest." 😀

    Reply
  7. Carol says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    Has to be one of my favorite Disney movies! What a delicious musical-inspired treat, having one of your delicious Gougères would definitely make me sing!

    Reply
  8. shaz says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    Ha ha, you have me humming along to the tune now Beth. Last year, my daughter's dance school had this song for their musical theater students (who performed brilliantly). Your gougeres look delightful and definitely fit for a feast.

    Reply
  9. Jemi Fraser says

    May 13, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    Yummy!! I think I could eat the entire recipe myself! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Claudia says

    May 13, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    I never met a gougere recipe I didn't love. You know I will be trying these! (Beauty!) Happy Mother's Day! Hope you're being spoiled!

    Reply
  11. Simply Life says

    May 13, 2012 at 5:08 pm

    wow, I would never think of a musical to inspire recipes but love this idea!

    Reply
  12. CJ - Food Stories says

    May 13, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    Oh, man … these cheese puffs look amazing … Happy Mothers Day!

    Reply
  13. Lizzy says

    May 13, 2012 at 10:40 pm

    Mmmmmm…this is one of my favorite appetizers to make when friends come over for dinner! Yours are perfect puff balls 🙂 Happy Mother's Day, Beth!

    Reply
  14. Janet Johnson says

    May 13, 2012 at 11:47 pm

    Yum! I'm drooling just looking at the picture. I think I'd better go buy some gruyere!

    Reply
  15. Bonnie says

    May 14, 2012 at 1:47 am

    I agree, Lumiere would be so impressed. Love the theater…love your pairings. Bonnie

    Reply
  16. sweetandcrumby.com says

    May 14, 2012 at 3:23 am

    I adore gougeres! I have never tried to make them though. Yours look splendid!

    Reply
  17. Neesie says

    May 14, 2012 at 11:47 am

    There's something about Disney's movies…I only have to hear the intro music and I'm mesmerized.
    I have so many wonderful memories spent with my children watching numerous times all the old favourites 😀
    Stupéfier de regard de Gougères. Lumiere serait très impressionné.
    Merci du partage ;D

    Reply
  18. Elaine says

    May 14, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    Your gougeres are beautiful. I made them for FFwD last year and you have inspired me to make them again.

    Reply
  19. Barbara says

    May 14, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Ina's gougères are wonderful. I've made them and her recipe is perfect. Love serving them as an appetizer, or with soup.

    Reply
  20. Jess says

    May 14, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    Yuuuuuum! I love Gruyere, and these sound fabulous. My daughter and I listen to the Beauty & the Beast soundtrack in the car 🙂

    Reply
  21. Angie's Recipes says

    May 14, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Those gougères look mouthwatering! Don't know about 'Dumbo'…must search for a DVD.

    Reply
  22. Kitchen Riffs says

    May 14, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    I love Gougères! And they've been on my "to make" list for over a year now! Your version is spectacular. I also grew up on Disney. Loved all the movies & musicals, and the weekly TV show was a must. Fun post – thanks.

    Reply
  23. profiterolesandponytails says

    May 14, 2012 at 4:49 pm

    I'm a big Ina Garten fan, but I've never made her version of Gougères. I'll have to try this out with my new piping bag and tips. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  24. Medeia Sharif says

    May 14, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    They look delicious. You know how to match songs and plays with food.

    Reply
  25. Julie says

    May 15, 2012 at 12:12 am

    Oh these look heavenly! Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

    Reply
  26. Jay says

    May 15, 2012 at 12:42 am

    wow..looks great & especially tasty
    Tasty Appetite

    Reply
  27. sally says

    May 15, 2012 at 1:23 am

    I love Beauty and the Beast, and these gougères look fantastic!

    Reply
  28. gobakeyourself says

    May 15, 2012 at 2:34 am

    Beauty and the Beast is one of my childhood, and even now, favourites 😀
    Thank you so much for honouring it with this scrumptious dish 🙂

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply
  29. Mary says

    May 15, 2012 at 3:58 am

    Great memories and a delicious recipe!

    Reply
  30. Sissi says

    May 15, 2012 at 8:22 am

    I love gougères! Thank you for sharing the wonderful memories with us.

    Reply
  31. Fashion Meets Food says

    May 15, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    These look so good and are so cute! What a delicious recipe that I definitely need to try. Thanks for sharing! I love your blog and I am your newest follower. xo

    Reply
  32. yummychunklet says

    May 15, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Yum! And, I was just suckered into buying the Beauty & the Beast DVD because it's going "back in the Disney vault".

    Reply
  33. Cindy says

    May 15, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    I'm making these today for SRC. They look perfectly yummy!

    Reply
  34. Kittie Howard says

    May 15, 2012 at 5:26 pm

    Thanks for stopping by, Beth. And lots of hugs for mentioning "White Knight" in your comment. Caron Rider wrote the book, not me. When I copied the questions, I thought I'd inserted my book but hadn't. Oh, but moving too fast isn't good.

    Reply
  35. grace says

    May 15, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    aw, great idea! did you know that they're making a drama series based on beauty and the beast? i'm dubious, but i'll give it a try.
    for the record, dumbo also made me cry.

    Reply
  36. Michelle says

    May 15, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    I love musicals, annd they sound yummy!

    Reply
  37. Sue says

    May 16, 2012 at 7:07 am

    These are very impressive and sound delicious! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites because of the "inner beauty affecting the outer beauty" theme!

    Reply
  38. julie says

    May 16, 2012 at 11:36 am

    I love that movie! Belle is one of my all time favorite Disney characters for all the reasons you mentioned. These puff seem as though they could quickly become a favorite as well. How can you go wrong with cheese and bread?

    Reply
  39. Joanne says

    May 16, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    I love disney musicals also and Beauty and the Beast will always be a favorite…especially that song! you definitely made a great choice in recipes…gougeres are so fun to pop in your mouth!

    Reply
  40. Caryn Caldwell says

    May 16, 2012 at 11:33 pm

    Oh, those look SO GOOD!!! Must bookmark.

    And I always loved Beauty and the Beast, too! Such a great tale, and done well in so many formats. (Robin McKinley, for example, has a great redoing of the story. And I'm partial to the Disney one as well. Ooh, and Beastly, the book version by Alix Flinn.)

    Reply
  41. Victoria says

    May 17, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    I love dishes inspired by movies and musicals 🙂 I've enjoyed reading your previous posts on the subject. I am a Disney fanatic, so I'm thrilled to see Beauty and the Beast mentioned here! These gougeres are the perfect idea, and of course look so yummy!

    Reply
  42. Anna says

    May 18, 2012 at 5:44 am

    I LOVE that song, and these look delicious! Though I would like to see the grey stuff too… 🙂

    Reply
  43. Lynne says

    May 18, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    Another wonderful post with recipes inspired by movies and musicals! YOur gougers look wonderful!

    Reply
  44. Kathy says

    May 19, 2012 at 11:53 am

    Beth, These look so good…what a perfect appetizer! I love Beauty and the Beast…such a great story with such a great message!
    I wanted to let you know that Josie loved your books…she read the first one the day she received it in the mail. She happened to be home sick from school and these books made her day! She loved your little note and was very excited about it! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  45. Beth says

    May 20, 2012 at 9:46 am

    You're more than welcome, Kathy. One of the best parts of being a writer is getting to hear from people who have enjoyed my books. I'm thrilled that she liked reading them. Thank you so much for letting me know!

    Reply
  46. Kayte says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    Can't go wrong with an Ina choice! Love the lyrics in that song, such fun. Your plate of tasty treats looks so inviting! YUM!

    Reply
  47. Hana K says

    November 25, 2013 at 5:02 am

    i actually try this recipes once when i went to my husband home town ,even tried to cooking it (my mother inlaw thought me) well its really delicous and also tasty meals indeed

    Reply

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Welcome to Of Muses and Meringues. Thanks for stopping by! I am Beth! Writer, traveller, baker, mother.
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