These simple and delicious baked Bacon and Blue Cheese Gougères are filled with creamy bleu cheese and smoky bacon, making them the perfect bite to pair with our layered Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ingredients
1 ½ cups water
9 Tbsp butter
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup flour
2 tsp thyme, chopped fine
6 eggs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ pound bacon
3 oz Point Reyes Blue Cheese
8 oz cream cheese

In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, and salt to a simmer. Add the flour and thyme to the simmering water and mix with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated and smooth. Next, transfer mixture to a standing mixer bowl and use the paddle attachment. While the mixer is running on low, add the eggs one at a time until all are incorporated (mixture may look broken at times but the mixer will do its job – it’ll come together).

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a straight tip and pipe the mixture into balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Each gougère should be a bit smaller than a golf ball. Dust each with a bit of grated Parmesan and bake in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 325F and allow to bake for another 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

For the filling, bake bacon on a baking sheet until almost crispy. Finely chop the bacon and add to a mixing bowl along with the blue and cream cheeses. Mix with a paddle attachment until bacon is fully incorporated. Transfer the cheese mixture into a clean piping bag with a straight tip.

Using a paring knife, bore a hole small enough to fit the tip of the pastry bag into the cooled gougère. Pipe the blue cheese mixture into the gougère, warm in an oven for 2 minutes (to give the cheese a creamy texture), and serve.

Enjoy!

Makes about 40 bite-sized pieces