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Dorie Greenspan is an inspiration. I am so grateful to have met her early in my culinary journey. Her genuine kindness and encouragement along with her passion for cooking brings out the best in others and in her recipes. What a delight to recently have a Kitchen Chat with her in the Viking and La Cornue Showroom (http://www.vikingrange.com/consumer/index.jsp) along with my co-host, Chef Jaime Laurita (https://www.instagram.com/jaimelaurita/?hl=en)

Dorie’s joie de vivre inspires every home chef to add a pinch of creativity to any recipe. In her most recent cookbook, Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook, (https://amzn.to/2r70QPF) Dorie shares recipes that she loves to prepare at home. For her classic Gougeres, Dorie surprises us with the addition of pecans and mustard to add an additional “bite.”

Here are Dorie Greenspan’s top tips for the home chef during the holidays:

• Think about planning ahead and what you can make ahead of time. Use your freezer like a tool.
• Think about things you can serve at room temperature. The turkey can be a “real estate hog” of the oven.
• Make your pie crusts ahead of time and keep them in the freezer.
• If you are making pie dough and put it between sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out while it is still soft and then chill it.