GOUGÈRES

How was your Thanksgiving? Were you daring cook, adding a new recipe or two into your day? Or did you stick to the tried, true, and delicious recipes that you almost have memorized? Either way, I hope it was a delicious, restful, and filling day for you and your families.

Mike and I flew south to visit some of his family for the long weekend. I missed my own family so much – craving to be around the table sharing our traditional dishes and pies. I cooked and baked a little, enjoying the space and amenities of a kitchen the size of our Manhattan apartment, but also, strangely, missing our cozy kitchen.

I imagine there might be more than a handful of people who still have the very last of the turkey leftovers to consume. Sometimes those last few meals of leftovers can be a bit difficult to get excited about, after consuming turkey for days on end. Not to worry! I have the perfect vessel for you to create a flavorful Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich. And, just in case the thought of returning to the kitchen after last week isn’t exactly the most appealing thought, this recipe is a cinch to make.

GOUGÈRES

Yields 8 to 10 4-inch pastries

Slightly adapted from Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson

Choux Paste

1 1/4 cups skim milk

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

5 large eggs

3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

Topping

1 large egg

Grated Gruyère cheese for sprinkling

Coarse sea salt (I use Maldon) for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a SilPat or parchment paper.

To make the choux paste, combine the milk, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the pan and some of the moisture has evaporated. This will take about 3 minutes.

Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a heatproof mixing bowl. If using a mixer, add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed, incorporating each egg before adding the next. When all the eggs have been added, the mixture will be very thick, smooth, and shiny. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand, add the cheese, pepper, and thyme, and mix in with a rubber spatula. If making by hand, add the eggs one at a time to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, incorporating each egg before adding the next one, then proceed as directed for the mixer method.

Use a large ice cream scoop to drop the dough into mounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk the egg and then gently brush the top of each pastry with the egg wash. Lightly sprinkle the top of each pastry with a little cheese and a bit of sea salt.

Place the pastries in the oven immediately and bake until they have puffed, are nicely browned, and feel light for their size, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and poke a small hole in the side of each pastry with a toothpick to allow the steam to escape. Releasing the steam keeps them from collapsing. If splitting and filling, let cool to room temperature; otherwise, they may be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. Or, let cool completely, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days, and recrisp in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 minutes.

Spiced Walnuts

Fall. Pumpkins. Apple cider. Spices. Come this time of year, with a crisp breeze blowing through the windows, I so wish I could just hold up in my kitchen, churning out one delicious fall dessert after another. I am excited to see apples and pears by the bushel-full at the market, fooled once again into being thankful for fall days. Winter is just around the corner and yet I am completely blinded by the sweet possibilities - pies, cakes, cookies, crumbles, ice cream - happy to bid farewell to the suffocating summer haze.

While I slowly transition to baking more on the weekends, weekday baking is almost completely out of the question. But around 4 PM, my sweet tooth attacks and has recently begun demanding fall-inspired sweets. Even with very little time during the week, I can drizzle walnuts with a little maple syrup, a sprinkle of spices, and produce a barely-sweet, but totally satisfying treat in less than 20 minutes.

Parmesan-Paprika Triangles

After a day exploring the beautiful city of Barcelona, Mike and I rested and refueled over lunch at Gresca. We placed our order, clinked our wine glasses together, and relaxed a bit further back into our chairs. Before the first appetizer arrived, our waitress returned with two perfectly crisp crackers - standing upright in a crystal clear glass. They were an unexpected treat to begin what would be one of our favorite meals in the city.

It has been almost three months since we returned from our European vacation and I find myself longing to return to those sunny days together in Barcelona. While my bank account may not support hopping the next plain across the Atlantic, I can certainly attempt to recreate some of our favorite dishes from those relaxing days. This recipe is quite close to the parmesan-paprika triangles we shared over lunch; I imagine the missing ‘extra something’ is only found over a table for two, with a bottle of wine, free from the responsibilities and stresses of everyday life.

Kale Chips

I know what you are thinking. I can hear the tone of disgust in your thoughts. Kale chips? Really?!

I know, I know. For two years, I adamantly refused to create these chips, knowing there was no way they could replace the love I felt for a perfectly crisp kettle-cooked potato chip. But not too far into the new year, I grew tired of the bland, boring dinner salad and started hankering crunchy, salty chips to accompany our sandwiches. Knowing I would have zero self-control once the bag was opened, I unwillingly opted to pick-up a bunch of kale and give this recipe an honest try.

But that was far from the biggest hurdle I would need to clear. Mike returned home from work just as I was placing the green leaves, glistening with olive oil, into our small oven. Upon being informed of what these leaves would become and, yes he would be expected to at least try one, he started sulking and glaring at the oven.

Chili Lime Tequila Popcorn

As you might remember, I have a bit of a gripe with stadium food.

I'm not talking about Citi Field, where I could live on Box Frites with the super-addictive bacon sauce.  Although my thighs might protest my diet change.

And I'm not talking about my beloved Fenway Park, where a Fenway Frank somehow tastes gourmet among the atmosphere, game and fans.

I'm talking about just about every other stadium.  The lines.  The prices.  The soggy, flavorless reward.

Luckily, most stadiums will now allow you to bring in a "modest" amount of food.

Here inlies the problem: what is considered a "modest" amount of food?  For 2 people?  What if I'm meeting more people and bringing them food?  Is that then considered an immodest amount of food for one person to bring into the stadium?

Yes, I think/worry about such things.

Yes, my hands begin sweating when I have to hand my bag over to be checked before entering the stadium.

No, I'm not a goody-two shoes.  Why do you ask?

But - once you taste this popcorn, I guarantee the thought of some security guard confiscating this treat might also push you to the edge of hysterics.

After making the popcorn, willing my hand away from eating it all before the game, fitting it securely in the bottom of my Kate Spade (known as just "Kate" around these parts), I was worried 4 quarts of popcorn might be excessive for 2 people.

Is it?  I don't know.

When something tastes this good, it can't be that bad for you.  At least, that's what Mike and I told ourselves as we consumed this popcorn by the fist-full.

Buttery.  Spicy.  Zippy.  Boozy.

Popcorn that begs for a good game and a big margarita.