This French take on an American tailgate party includes Gougeres (cheese puffs), Croque Monsieur and an apple Tarte Tatin.
This French take on an American tailgate party includes Gougeres (cheese puffs), Croque Monsieur and an apple Tarte Tatin.
For more than a few Pittsburgh football fans, a Steelers tailgate party comes with all our favorite munchies: nachos, Buffalo chicken dip, kielbasa, pierogi, meat-and-cheese stuffed hoagies.
Not only are they easy to make, transport and eat in any kind of weather, but they speak to tradition. They’re the foods Pittsburgh football families have been making for generations.
Which is fine when games are played at Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. But what if the Black and Gold are suiting up overseas?
This Sunday, the Steelers will play the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just north of Paris, marking a major step in opening the country’s national stadium to American football. This is the NFL's first regular-season game in France.
American parking lot tailgate culture doesn’t really exist in Paris — soccer and rugby fans tend to gather in a favorite cafe or pub for pre-game festivities — so those who travel to the game will have to settle for snacks from the stadium’s buvette, where the menu includes jambon frommage, tomata mozzarella and poulet mediterranee sandwiches, hot dogs and Heineken beer.
But if you’re watching at home, it’s easy to add a touch of French flair to your tailgate menu.
We’ve taken two popular game day foods — cheese nachos and a Primanti’s sandwich — and replaced them with two traditional French finger foods: gougères (cheese puffs) and croque monsieur, a classic French hot ham and cheese sandwich.
Because it’s always great to end a party on a sweet note, we’re also including a French take on the most American of seasonal fall desserts, apple pie. And what a presentation — after baking, a tarte tatin is served upside down so the glossy, sugary caramelized apples end up on top of the pastry.
None of the recipes are difficult, and they all go extremely well with bubbly, a cornerstone for French celebrations. Since the game is being played at 9:30 a.m. Pittsburgh time, just add a little OJ to make it a mimosa.
Bon appetit!
Cheese Gougères (Cheese Puffs)
“gougers”
(Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette)
PG tested
These delicate cheese puffs only look hard to make. They’re actually surprisingly easy using everyday pantry staples. All you need is a big bowl, an electric mixer (or strong arm) and an ice cream scoop.
I used a mix of grated Gruyere and Swiss cheeses. The puffs can be frozen before baking and then popped into the oven on the day of your party. Serve them hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat in a 350-degree oven until piping hot.
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing baking sheets
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar, Gruyère, Swiss or Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup water
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and position racks in the upper and middle thirds. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.
In a large saucepan, combine butter, water and salt and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Add flour and whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly. Then, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat in the eggs 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between additions. Beat in all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese.
Using a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop level mounds of the dough onto the baking sheets, 1½ inches apart. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and bake for 12 minutes, until golden and risen. Shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Pierce each gougère near the bottom with a skewer and return the sheets to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until crisp, puffed and deeply golden.
Transfer to racks to cool. Serve gougères warm or at room temperature.
Makes 40 servings.
— adapted from foodandwine.com
Croque Monsieur
“monsieur”
(Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette)
PG tested
This classic French sandwich is traditionally made with baked or boiled ham and a salty Alpine-style cheese such as Gruyère, Comté or Emmental. Its name translates to “mister crunch,” and you couldn’t choose a better descriptor. While the interior is gooey, the sandwich has crispy, toasted edges that lend a satisfying crunch.
For a tailgate party, cut the sandwiches into four pieces and secure with toothpicks. I used a buttery brioche but any sturdy pain de mei(French white bread) would work. Be sure to keep a careful eye on the broiler — the cheese sauce on top of the bread can quickly burn!
For Mornay sauce
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
⅓ cup grated Gruyere cheese
For croque monsieur
4 slices toasted white bread, ¾-inch thick
2 tablespoons Mornay sauce
2 or 4 slices good quality unsmoked ham
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
Prepare Mornay sauce: Melt butter over low heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add flour all at once to create a roux and stir with a wooden spoon until combined into a paste. Continue to cook, stirring, until raw flour scent is gone, about 1 minute.
Add milk in a thin, steady stream, whisking thoroughly and reaching into the corners of the saucepan. Continue stirring until sauce comes to a simmer and begins to thicken slightly. Then, reduce heat to low and continue cooking, stirring all the while, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 2-3 minutes.
Season sauce to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch each of nutmeg and cayenne. Whisk in grated cheese, a little at a time, stirring to make sure it is completely melted before each new addition. Set aside while you prepare bread.
Preheat oven to broil with rack about 8 inches from heat source.
Toast bread slices under the broiler until lightly browned. Arrange 2 slices on a work surface, toasted side down, and slather each with 2 spoonfuls of Mornay sauce. Spread to evenly cover the surface, add a layer of ham and then a small handful of cheese (about ¼ cup).
Spread Dijon mustard on remaining 2 bread slices, then place mustard-side down on top of the ham-and-cheese topped bread.
Spread a layer of Mornay sauce on top of closed sandwich. Divide remaining 1 cup grated Gruyère over top of sandwiches. (You can use less cheese for a lighter sandwich.)
Place in the oven under broiler and bake until cheese has melted and tops of sandwiches are bubbly and starting to brown in spots, 5-7 minutes.
Remove from the oven, plate and serve with a knife and fork. Bon appétit!
Makes 2 sandwiches or 8 appetizers.
— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette
Tarte Tatin
“tatin”
(Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette)
PG tested
This super-simple, caramel-y tart is the French version of American apple pie. Only it’s served upside down after baking.
In this hassle-free version from the new French cookbook “Bistro: French Food and Wine for Every Occasion” (Mitchell Beazley, $50), chef Stéphane Reynaud trades homemade shortcrust pastry — dough that can be vexing for home cooks to perfect — for frozen puff pastry.
Choose a firm, crisp apple that hold its shape when baked and balances sweetness with tartness — Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious are all great choices.
3½ ounces sugar
2¾ ounces butter, sliced
8 apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sprinkle sugar over the base of a tarte tatin pan or an ovenproof frying pan, and place it over a low heat. (I used a 9-inch cast-iron pan.)
Leave pan on heat, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and turns into a rich brown caramel. Gradually add butter, stirring well.
Add apples and cook for 30 minutes over low heat, turning once midway through.
Meanwhile, cut a disc of pastry slightly larger than the pan. (I used a dinner plate for guidance.)
Arrange apples attractively in the pan, then cover with the pastry, tucking it neatly down the sides of the pan.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden, then invert onto a serving plate and serve warm
Makes 1 tart.
— “Bistro: French Food and Wine for Every Occasion” by Stèphane Reynaud
First Published: October 22, 2026, 1:00 a.m.