Goat Cheese & Onion Pastries — Warm Hands, Quiet Kitchen

March 8th. Eight years. I went to Holy Cross before my shift. The cemetery was empty — just me and the headstones and the grey Milwaukee sky that looks like someone forgot to finish painting it. Danny's grave has a hockey stick engraved on the stone. His parents did that. Danny Katz, 1996-2013. Beloved son, brother, friend. I sat on the frozen ground and talked to him for a while. Told him about the brewery, about the pierogi, about how I still can't believe the Bucks won the championship. Told him I miss him. Told him the stupid stuff and the real stuff, same as always.

Drove to work with the radio off. Made beer all day. There's something about the mechanical rhythm of brewing — measuring grain, monitoring temperatures, watching yeast do its thing — that keeps your hands busy while your head sorts itself out. The doppelbock is fermenting nicely. Dark as coffee, thick as a milkshake. Exactly what late winter needs.

Spring feels theoretical. The forecast says snow on Thursday. Of course it does. Milwaukee doesn't let go of winter — winter lets go of Milwaukee, on its own terms, when it's good and ready.

Made potato pancakes for dinner three nights this week. Placki ziemniaczane. Babcia's recipe — grated potatoes, onion, egg, flour, salt. Fried in oil until the edges are crispy and the middle is soft. You eat them with sour cream or applesauce or both if you're feeling ambitious. They're the kind of food that costs almost nothing and tastes like everything. I eat them standing at the stove because the apartment is small and the kitchen table is covered with bottle caps I'm sorting for a homebrew project.

Went to Mass on Sunday at St. Josaphat. I don't go every week anymore — Babcia would have opinions about that — but I go on the weeks that matter. Lit a candle for Danny. Lit one for Babcia. Stood in the basilica and looked up at the dome and felt small in the way that churches want you to feel small, which is not the same as feeling insignificant.

Babcia’s placki are the anchor recipe — the one I’ll always come back to — but on the nights when I need the same feeling of standing at the stove with my hands busy, I’ll reach for something that layers caramelized onion and something rich and tangy into a pastry shell. These goat cheese and onion pastries have that same honesty: simple ingredients, patient heat, and a finished thing that tastes better than it has any right to for how little it costs. After a day like March 8th, that’s exactly the kind of cooking that makes sense.

Goat Cheese & Onion Pastries

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 10 pastries

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (about 9 oz)
• 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 oz soft goat cheese (chèvre), at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Caramelize the onions. In a wide skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add sliced onions, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring every few minutes, for 22–28 minutes until onions are deeply golden and jammy. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it out gently to smooth any creases. Cut into 10 equal rectangles, roughly 3 x 4 inches each.
3. Score the borders. Using a sharp knife, lightly score a 1/4-inch border around each rectangle without cutting all the way through. This helps the edges puff up and frame the filling. Transfer rectangles to the prepared baking sheet.
4. Add the filling. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese inside the scored border of each pastry. Top with a small spoonful of the caramelized onions. Season with black pepper and scatter thyme leaves over each.
5. Egg wash and bake. Brush the border of each pastry with the beaten egg. Bake for 15–18 minutes until the pastry is puffed, golden, and crisp on the edges.
6. Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Best eaten warm, standing at the stove or at a table that isn’t covered in bottle caps.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg