Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

Colette, born in 1873, matured during the height of the Parisian Bohemian period, went on to become the best known woman writer in France. An early Feminist, Sensualist, and Bohemian, after WW-1, she published a great number of her novels. She managed to keep herself going until 1954, when she died at the age of 81. When Gertrude Stein, our best known early/open Lesbian and her partner, Alice B. Toklas, emigrated to Paris in 1903, they connected with Colette. Colette, among other things was a good cook and had some influence on Alice B Toklas. If I remember correctly, I think that I first came upon the following recipe in a cook book that Toklas had published long years ago. Of course, as usual, I made changes in the original, but what will come out will be so delicious, that if you make it for a group of friends they will gobble it up as an entr? into your meal. So, here goes!

Ingredients
5 Tbls Butter
1 tsp Sel (salt)
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Grated Cheese (your choice)
5 Lge Eggs at Room Temp.(it is important that the eggs be room temp.!)

The Process
Preheat your oven to 425?. On your stove top, bring to a boil at medium heat in a sauce pan, the butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg in 1 cup of H2O. When the butter melts, reduce the heat to low. Add the flour to the mix and cook over low heat until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan. Remove from heat. Add the cheese and beat in well. Add 4 of the eggs, one at a time, beating in until well incorporated. Continue beating until mixture is smooth, shiny and firm. Drop the batter in Tablespoons onto a prepared cookie sheet (I use parchment paper), about 1? inches apart. Make an egg wash with the remaining egg and brush the tops of the coughers well. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 15 or 20 min. or until the cougeres are golden and have doubled in size. Remove from the oven and serve hot, or allow to cool to room temp. This makes about 3 dozen cougeres. ENJOY!