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.
Beauty and the beast is one of my favorites movies!"
and thid recipe is really nice!
happy mothers day!!
One of my favorites…maybe because her name was "Belle" and it kind of sounded like mine. Thees puffs are WOW!!!
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
One of my favorite Disney movies and a enchanting post with a delightful recipe 🙂
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
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." 😀
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!
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.
Yummy!! I think I could eat the entire recipe myself! 🙂
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!
wow, I would never think of a musical to inspire recipes but love this idea!
Oh, man … these cheese puffs look amazing … Happy Mothers Day!
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!
Yum! I'm drooling just looking at the picture. I think I'd better go buy some gruyere!
I agree, Lumiere would be so impressed. Love the theater…love your pairings. Bonnie
I adore gougeres! I have never tried to make them though. Yours look splendid!
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
Your gougeres are beautiful. I made them for FFwD last year and you have inspired me to make them again.
Ina's gougères are wonderful. I've made them and her recipe is perfect. Love serving them as an appetizer, or with soup.
Yuuuuuum! I love Gruyere, and these sound fabulous. My daughter and I listen to the Beauty & the Beast soundtrack in the car 🙂
Those gougères look mouthwatering! Don't know about 'Dumbo'…must search for a DVD.
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.
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!
They look delicious. You know how to match songs and plays with food.
Oh these look heavenly! Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!
wow..looks great & especially tasty
Tasty Appetite
I love Beauty and the Beast, and these gougères look fantastic!
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
Great memories and a delicious recipe!
I love gougères! Thank you for sharing the wonderful memories with us.
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
Yum! And, I was just suckered into buying the Beauty & the Beast DVD because it's going "back in the Disney vault".
I'm making these today for SRC. They look perfectly yummy!
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.
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.
I love musicals, annd they sound yummy!
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!
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?
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!
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.)
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!
I LOVE that song, and these look delicious! Though I would like to see the grey stuff too… 🙂
Another wonderful post with recipes inspired by movies and musicals! YOur gougers look wonderful!
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!
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!
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!
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