It was a propitious intersection of two unrelated events. First, we were out of gochujang, a Korean miso and chile paste, and I needed to replenish our supply—we've become intolerant of store-bought varieties that are curiously devoid of texture and have no depth of flavor compared to the homemade version shared by my friend's family. Secondly, Thanksgiving was fast approaching and I needed to pull together a simple appetizer board to offer our guests. 

So I jumped in and made up a batch of the gochujang, a simple task as far as gathering ingredients goes, but one that takes a good afternoon of standing over a frying pan and stirring the paste to get it to just the right level of jammy brownness. Fortunately it makes enough to last several months, at least in our household, so it is well worth the time invested

After finishing the gochujang, I turned to the appetizers we needed for the holiday. I'd made some cheesy chile crisp crackers—actually more cookie-like in both size and texture, like French sablés—from a recipe in Dorie Greenspan's xoxo Dorie newsletter. While we love our chile crisp around here, especially her preferred brand, Fly by Jing, I wanted to make Dorie's recipe again, but substituting gochujang for the chile crisp.

The crackers are a cinch to whip up in the processor, and it's easy to form them into a log and roll it in the sesame seeds on a sheet pan. The rolled log needs to firm up in the fridge, and though I could have sliced and baked it after chilling it for a half hour, I decided to bake it the next day, making it easier to slice.

The gochujang gave the little cookie-like wafers a definite hint of umami from the miso, and the slight zing of heat from the cayenne in the sauce carried through nicely. I can't wait to hear what our guests think!

Zingy Gochujang Cheese Crackers

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's xoxo Dorie newsletter, adapted from Helen Goh’s "Baking & The Meaning of Life"

2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds (toasted white seeds or a combination are fine, too)
1 c. plus 3 Tbsp. (150 grams) flour
2/3 c. (70 grams) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
6 Tbsp.(80 grams) butter, very cold, diced
3 Tbsp.(60 grams) gochujang
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. (40 grams) green onion, slivered

Scatter the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, put the flour, parmesan, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the diced butter, processing until the mixture is crumbly. Add in the gochujang, egg yolk, and lemon juice, pulsing until it just begins to clump up (Dorie says it should resemble wet sand), then put the mixture into a large bowl and add the green onion, stirring to combine, then press it into a ball.

Place on a board or butcher block, and form the dough into a round log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 1½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Carefully place the log on the sheet with the sesame seeds, then roll it until it's covered in the seeds (press extra seeds into any bare patches). Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take it out of the fridge and leave it wrapped, rolling it into a more even log if necessary. (At this point you keep it tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to one month; no need to defrost before cutting and baking.)

Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice the log crosswise into coins 3/8" thick and place them on the lined baking sheet, pressing them back into shape if they break. Bake 20 minutes until barely browned on the top. Dorie notes "the bottoms of the crackers will be a deeper reddish-brown from the gochujang as well as the direct contact with the heat of the sheet—this is as it should be."

Soft when warm, they'll crisp up as they cool. It's difficult not to eat them right then and there, but Dorie says they are at their best a day of two later, "when they’ve dried out a little and the flavors have had time to meld together. They will keep, loosely wrapped in foil, for up to 5 days."

I needed an easy appetizer to take to the annual gathering of "lady food writers" the other night—spectacularly talented writers, cookbook authors and cooks all—and was not feeling inspired. That is, until I saw that one of my favorite cheesemakers, Fraga Farmstead Creamery, had posted on social media that they would have fresh feta at their farmers' market booths over the weekend.

As luck would have it, one of those farmers' markets happened to be in our neighborhood, and I knew this crowd would be the perfect audience for Fraga's stellar cheese. So I got myself dressed and out of the house Saturday morning, shimmied over to the market, bought a jar of snow-white feta cubes swirling in whey brine, and rewarded myself for the effort with a breakfast bowl of Umi Organic noodles. (I think I deserved it, don't you?)

The day of the gathering I simply drained the whey, reserving the brine for later use, and transferred the cubes of cheese to a bowl where I added chopped herbs from the garden, olive oil, chile flakes and garlic. I left it on the counter for a couple of hours, swished it around a few times, placed it on a platter lined with grape leaves foraged from my neighbor's vines, added triangles of pita, and took it to the party. Raves ensued.

I can't wait to crumble more of this amazing feta into a shrimp salad this summer, or tuck it into a hamburger patty for stuffed cheeseburgers. Yes, it's that good!

Feta Marinated with Herbs, Garlic and Lemon

8 oz. brick feta cheese
Olive oil
Fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, tarragon)
Zest of half lemon
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes

Cut feta into 1/2" cubes. Place in medium-sized mixing bowl along with herbs, zest, garlic and chile flakes. Add enough oil to barely cover and mix gently. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with pita wedges.

With salmon filets and steaks running up toward twenty bucks a pound at the fish counter, this time of year, when I'm craving it, I buy the whole fish, head on, for much less per pound. This way you get the (cleaned) fish, which you can throw on the grill with herbs and lemon stuffed into the cavity. You can also have your fishmonger filet it, or you can slice it into steaks yourself. But any way you choose to cook it, make sure to save the head, fins and tail to make a terrific fish broth for your next risotto or paella.

With out-of-town friends coming over for dinner, and wanting to share some of the crazy goodness of the Northwest, we grilled a whole salmon with a side of wild mushroom risotto and a salad of seasonal greens. Throw in some local red to go with the fish, a fruit crisp made with the last of the frozen berries to top off the meal, and they were putty in our hands. Even with everyone eating their fill, there was a good amount of fish left over…which fit into my clever plan to make salmon cakes for dinner a couple of nights later.

These cakes are great as an appetizer or with a salad for a simple dinner, and they also make a great breakfast with eggs, sautéed greens and a slice of homemade bread. It's not necessary to have all the ingredients—the fish, mayo and eggs are the critical ingredients—so the seasonings can go in any direction you desire. These are meant to be mostly meat, with just enough of the other ingredients to (barely) hold it together.

And if you ever happen to have any leftover smoked salmon (does that really happen?), that would be the gilding on this particular lily.

Salmon Cakes

2 c. cooked salmon, flaked
1-2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/4 c. minced red or green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
1/4 c. bread crumbs
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
1 egg

Combine salmon with other ingredients (except oil) and mix thoroughly. Form into loose cakes about 2" across. Can be refrigerated at this point, which will firm up the cakes a bit, but it's not necessary. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in medium frying pan until it shimmers. Put cakes in pan, but don't crowd them—do them in batches if necessary. Cook until browned, then carefully flip them over and brown on the other side. Makes about eight cakes.