D O RI E GR EEN S PA NPhotographs by Ellen SilvermanThe Way I Cook E V E R Y D AY DORIEI NTR O D U C TI O NN I B B L E S , S TART E R S AN D S MAL L M E AL SS O U P S AN D S AL AD SCH I CK E NM E AT O F S E V E R A L K I N D SF I SH A N D SH E L L F I SHV EG E TAB L E GO -ALO N G S AN D GO -ALO N E SD E S S E RT SB A S I C S AN D T R AN S F O R M E R SCONTENTS“ These recipes, most of which are simple, turn out food that’s comforting, satisfying, inviting and so often surprising. I love when there’s something unexpected in a dish, especially when it’s in a dish we think we know well.”2 MY NEWEST GOUGÈRESMakes about 60 gougèresGougères are French cheese puffs based on a classic dough called pâte à choux (the dough used for cream puffs), and it’s a testament to their goodness that I’m still crazy about them after all these years and after all the thousands that I’ve made. Twenty or so years ago, when my husband and I moved to Paris, I decided that gougères would be the nibble I’d have ready for guests when they visited. Regulars chez moi have come to ex-pect them. Over the years, I’ve made minor adjustments to the recipe’s ingredients, flirting with different cheeses, dif-ferent kinds of pepper and different spices. The recipe is welcoming. This current favorite has a structural tweak: In-stead of the usual five eggs in the dough, I use four, plus a white—it makes the puff just a tad sturdier. In addi-tion, I’ve downsized the puffs, shaping them with a small cookie scoop. And I’ve added Dijon mustard to the mix for zip and a surprise—walnuts. ½ cup (120 grams) whole milk½ cup (120 grams) water1 stick (4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt1 cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 large egg white, at room temperature2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (preferably French)2 cups (170 grams) coarsely grated cheese, such as Comté, Gruyère and/or sharp cheddar2⁄3 cup (80 grams) walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and chopped W O RK I N G AH E ADMy secret to being able to serve guests gougères on short notice is to keep them in the freezer, ready to bake. Scoop the puffs, freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or cutting board and then pack them airtight. You can bake them straight from the oven; just give them a couple more minutes of heat.Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Bring the milk, water, butter and salt to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat and immediately start stirring energeti-cally with a heavy spoon or whisk. The dough will form a ball and there’ll be a light film on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for another 2 minutes or so to dry the dough. Dry dough will make puffy puffs.Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work by hand with a wooden spoon and elbow grease). Let the dough sit for a min-ute, then add the eggs one by one, followed by the white, beating until each egg is incorporated before adding the 3next. The dough may look as though it’s separating or falling apart but just keep working; by the time the white goes in, the dough will be beautiful. Beat in the mustard, followed by the cheese and the walnuts. Give the dough a last mix-through by hand.Scoop or spoon out the dough, using a small cookie scoop (1½ teaspoons). If you’d like larger puffs, shape them with a tablespoon or medium-size cookie scoop. Drop the dough onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each mound. (The dough can be scooped and frozen on baking sheets at this point.)Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees F.Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are puffed, golden and firm enough to pick up, another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately—these are best directly from the oven. S TO R I N G : The puffs are best soon after they come out of the oven and nice (if flatter) at room temperature that same day. If you want to keep baked puffs, freeze them and then reheat them in a 350-degree-F oven for a few minutes.4 PASTA WITH CABBAGE, WINTER SQUASH AND WALNUTSMakes 4 servings Some dishes take days of planning and some just pop into your head while you’re fretting that there’s noth-ing in the house for dinner. This was such a dish. I’d left planning to well after the last minute, and so I had to scramble and make do with whatever I could forage in the fridge. It turned out there were hunks of cabbage and squash and a piece of Parmesan. Since there’s always pasta, there was dinner, a scrambler’s dinner that turned into a dish worthy of being made “on purpose.” The secret to the dish’s flavor is vinegar. Cider vine-gar is best, but again, this is a pick-up dinner, so pick up what you’ve got. Just make sure to cook it down so that you get its flavor, not its bite. Oh, and there’s another surprise ingredient: dried cranberries, there for tart-ness, color and chew.½ pound (227 grams) winter squash, such as delicata, kabocha, acorn or butternut, scrubbed or peeled¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil (a little more if needed)Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper2 tablespoons cider vinegar1½ teaspoons honey½ pound (227 grams) linguine or other pasta¼ cup (30 grams) dried cranberries ½ pound (227 grams) green cabbage, trimmed, cored and shredded (about 2 lightly packed cups)¼ cup (30 grams) walnut pieces (toasted, if you’d like)Freshly grated Parmesan, for sprinklingPut a large pot of generously salted water on to boil for the pasta.Cut the squash and remove the seeds (discard or clean and roast). Either slice finely or cut into cubes. You’ll have about 2 lightly packed cups.Working in a large high-sided skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Toss in the squash, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until it is almost tender, about 8 min-utes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and cook until it is absorbed by the squash—this is quick. Add the honey, stir to coat, scrape the squash into a bowl and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions. About a minute before the pasta is ready, toss the dried cranber-ries into the pot. When the pasta is cooked, set aside ¼ cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta, leaving a little water clinging to the strands. 5Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add 1 table-spoon of the remaining oil and toss in the cabbage; sea-son with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for a minute or two, then add the remaining tablespoon vinegar and cook, stirring, until it evaporates. Pour in the reserved pasta water and cook for a minute before adding the drained but still wet pasta and cranberries. Stir it all around, then mix in the squash and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Taste for salt and pepper, and see if you want to add a bit more oil.Top with walnuts and Parmesan and serve in a warm bowl or keep it in the skillet. S TO R I N G : The dish is really best made all at once and eaten as soon as everything is tossed together. 7For the salad1 to 2 celery stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into thin slices½ English or 1 mini (Persian) cucumber, peeled (if large, halve lengthwise), cut into thin slices½ bell pepper, trimmed, cut into small dice or finely chopped1 tablespoon mixed minced fresh herbs such as parsley, dill and cilantro, or 1 tablespoon minced basilHandful baby greens1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegarFine sea salt and freshly ground pepperFor the chicken4 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets, each 4 to 5 ounces (113 to 142 grams)1 to 2 cups (60 to 120 grams) dry fine bread crumbs3 large eggsFine sea salt and freshly ground pepper2 tablespoons unsalted butter (more, if needed)4 tablespoons olive oil (more, if needed)1 lemon, cut into 4 wedgesW O RK I N G AH E AD If you can bread the cutlets and give them a few hours in the fridge before sautéing them, that would be good. A chill gives the coating time to firm and dry a bit, so you get a crisper cutlet.T O MAK E T H E S AL AD : Toss the celery, cucumber, pepper, herbs and greens in a bowl. Pour the oil, lemon juice and vinegar into a small jar, season with salt and pepper and shake to blend. Set the salad and vinaigrette aside separately until needed.CHICKEN AND CHOPPED SALAD MILANESE STYLEMakes 4 servingsMy friend Tony Fortuna’s restaurant, TBar, is the kind of restaurant you could go to every day, and many peo-ple do—it’s a beloved place on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. I go there lots, and many times, despite all the ter-rific dishes and the seasonal specials, I end up ordering the chicken milanese. I can’t resist the combination of a perfectly breaded, perfectly sautéed chicken breast—in culinary terms, milanese means breaded and sautéed—topped with a bright, citrusy chopped salad and served with a wedge of lemon, just in case you want a squirt more tang. At TBar, the chicken is pounded as thin as an old-school long-playing record; it’s as round as one too. I’ve never been able to come close to TBar’s thinness and cir-cularity, but the spirit of the dish is easy to re-create and the pleasure is the same even if the aesthetics aren’t.Next >