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Gourmet Today and Author Ruth Reichl

Gourmet was the ultimate magazine for people passionate about culinary culture. Food, wine, restaurants, and travel are the essential ingredients for some of life's best experiences--and only Gourmet brought these to life in an unrivaled environment of modern luxury and classic style. We are saddened that this wonderful magazine will no longer be in production, but this book will allow you to continue to bring Gourmet along with you on your culinary journeys.

About Gourmet Today--Brand New!

In no other period of our country’s history has the food scene changed so rapidly. Exciting new ingredients are available everywhere, expanding our culinary horizons. Even casual meals have globe-trotting flavors. We want memorable dishes, and we want them to be healthy for our families and our planet. And with our busy schedules, we want them on the table faster than ever.

A new culinary world calls for a new cookbook. Gourmet Today responds to our changing foodscape with more vegetarian recipes, more recipes for popular dishes from every corner of the world, more recipes for stunning meals ready in 30 minutes or less, more simple ways to prepare more...

Photograph of Ruth Reichl

About Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl, Gourmet's editor in chief, is also a critically acclaimed author (see her other books below). Before becoming editor in chief at Gourmet, she was the restaurant critic of the New York Times, and before that the food editor of the Los Angeles Times. She is also the editor of the Modern Library Cooking Series.

A Jessica's Biscuit® Exclusive--
Three Recipes from the Brand New Gourmet Today!

The first recipe is below. For the rest click here.

Stilton Cheese Puffs

In this variation on gougères, the famous English blue cheese steps in for the traditional Gruyère, and ale adds extra depth of flavor. The light-as-air puff s are perfect as a cocktail snack or as an accompaniment to a post-dinner salad, scuttling the need for a cheese course. When preparing any pâte à choux dough, make sure it has cooled sufficiently before you add the eggs; if the dough is too hot, the eggs will partially cook and the puffs will not rise properly.

Makes About 40 Hors D'Oeuvres
Active Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour

1/2 cup pale ale, such as Bass (pour beer slowly into measuring cup--do not measure foam)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup crumbled Stilton cheese (from a 4-ounce piece, rind discarded)

Special Equipment:

a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip; parchment paper

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine ale, butter, and salt in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring until butter is melted. Reduce heat to moderate, add flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 seconds. Continue to cook, stirring and flattening dough against bottom of pan, until excess moisture evaporates and a film forms on bottom of pan. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition. (Dough will appear to separate initially but will become smooth as it is beaten.) Add cheese and stir until well combined.

Spoon dough into pastry bag. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and secure parchment by piping a dab of batter under each corner. Pipe approximately 3-inch lengths of dough 1 inch apart on baking sheet, making about 40 total.

Bake until puff ed, golden, and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Cook's Note:
The cheese puffs are best when freshly baked, but they can be made up to 4 hours ahead and reheated in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

To view the other two exclusive recipes, click here or
click here to download and print all three recipes in a pdf format.

Also available: The Gourmet Cookbook with DVD

DVD included! This edition of The Gourmet Cookbook includes a 45-minute DVD featuring Ruth Reichl's favorite recipes and cooking techniques. For beginners and seasoned cooks alike, The Gourmet Cookbook is an eloquent, essential companion in the kitchen -- one that will take its place among the classic cookbooks of our generation. Under the discerning eye of the celebrated more...

A selection of additional books by Ruth Reichl:

Not Becoming My Mother

Bestselling author Ruth Reichl examines her mother’s life in this little gem, and gives voice to the universal unarticulated truth that we are grateful not to be our mothers. In Not Becoming My Mother, bestselling author Ruth Reichl embarks on a clear-eyed, openhearted investigation of her mother’s life, piecing together the journey of a woman she comes to realize she never really knew. More...