Sweet Berry Cheesecake Wontons

恭禧發財!

 

In case you can't read that above (I sure can't!) I'm wishing you all Gong Hey Fat Choy - happy Chinese New Year!

When we made the Pan-Fried Vegetable Wontons in my class a few weeks ago, I knew that the kids would love the experience but really get into it if there was some sort of dessert involved. Since I was already onto the wonton theme, I figured why not sweet ones? I had a ton of homemade Richer Ricotta in the fridge at home begging to be used, and when I saw it I immediately thought "cheesecake". Of course, ricotta is tangy on its own, not cheesecakey, but I also had some Xyla-sweetened Mountain Berry Jam  in the fridge that we just didn't enjoy on its own as a Toast Topper but didn't have the heart to toss that I could play with. I mixed up the two with a dab of honey, some vanilla and tightened the works with cornstarch before (ziploc-bag) piping the filling onto the wrappers. A quick pan-fry yielded crispy, lightly sweet and creamy dumplings that the kids absolutely devoured - even without the powdered sugar (which I forgot at home). The adults who had a sample or two (or three!) didn't complain either :-).

Sesame Scallion Schezuan Noodles

After we finished with all the dumpling madness in class last week, I still had a partial container of the Pan-Fried Vegetable Wonton filling left over. It smelled so incredible (and based on the reviews, tasted even better) that I didn't want to simply toss it, especially since I still had a few bottles of cooking sauce from San-J to use!

For some reason when I think sesame oil and scallions, I look for the hot and spicy flavours of Schezuan cuisine. Luckily, one of the bottles I was sent was Szechuan Cooking Sauce, a combination of their delicious tamari, sake, vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame and plum that is anything but mild... especially when (like me) you add an extra pinch of pepper flakes to the mix! After mixing a few glugs of the sauce, the pepper flakes and a little bit of extra honey into the tofu, it smelled even better, and begged for a big bowl of noodles to play with. In answer, I soaked up a bundle of no-cook brown rice vermicelli, then sauteed up some more ginger, garlic and the last of the green onions. The tofu and noodles were tossed in just enough to warm through and with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, dinner was done! I'd wager this is good cold too, but honestly - we couldn't wait to try it.

In case you didn't make the full batch of dumpling filling, I've included the scaled-down recipe below.

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday

Pan-Fried Vegetable Wontons

I may gripe occasionally about some days at work (sorry Facebook followers!) but in general, I absolutely love my co-op placement / old school.Working there has given me a lot of experience in management - even if it is managing 28 rugrats - and I think I've become more proficient in arts and crafts than I've ever been given the staggering amount of holiday "take-homes" we've done since I started there. Recently, my supervising teacher asked me to begin teaching cooking segments with our gang, and with our principal's blessing I began planning out what we could do for holidays in the coming months.

Since right now the classroom is decked out in the red and gold regalia of Chinese New Year (including some of the free decorations the Chinese takeout place gives away each year), it was only logical to kick off the new lessons with an Asian-skewed treat. The first thing that popped into my head were pan-fried dumplings - which was odd given my aversion to cooking in hot oil! Most recipes I found for the semi-potstickers called for ground meat of some kind, but I wanted to make a vegetarian version with tofu so everyone in my class could taste.

While nuts were obviously out, I was lucky enough not to have sesame allergies in my class so I was able to bring in the rich nutty aroma of toasted sesame oil, as well as ginger, garlic, scallions and the San-J tamari I was sent over the holidays. The combination of flavours in the filling, coupled with the crispness of the wrappers and the fun of mashing the tofu up with a fun tool (I used this one, but if I had it I'd totally pick this) and the fact that they actually had ownership of what they were eating meant that every child that participated had a bite, and most had two or three! Even one of our youngest (who is famously sometimes known as a troublemaker) ate about 4 of them in one sitting - without the provided plum sauce - and not to mention he was extraordinarily well behaved!

I wish I could show you all the adorable faces of the chefs, but there are rules about that... so here's a peek at their dumplings:

I know, right? They were so proud! Of course, I gave them the recipe to take home and I'm sure that even if they don't make it for years, it will be a fond memory when they come across their family recipe box later.

 

Fish - Friendly Pesto

Pesto is one of those miracle ingredients. With just a few fresh elements and a little bit of mincing and mixing (with a handy food processor or a mortar and pestle), a new condiment springs to life that can instantly transform boring pasta, mediocre grilled cheese or plain grilled protein - among a host of other uses. The mixture of fresh herbs, (usually) garlic and oil freezes beautifully too, so even when it's - what - -30°C outside, it's easy for me to pull a couple cubes from the freezer and toss them into soup or a simple saute for a bright pop of flavour.

One of my other favourite things about pesto is that it is infinitely variable - the most common version is pesto alla genovese (garlic, genovese basil, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and Fiore Sardo), but if you have dairy or nut allergies, are vegan or have other dietary restrictions or flavour preferences it's incredibly simple to modify what you use. For instance, this past summer I grew a basil variant in my garden - lime basil - and since I immediately thought of grilled fish and light pasta salads when I tasted it I wanted to make a pesto that would suit those recipes. 

I can't afford, nor do I like the flavour of, pine nuts, and I fall into the traditional Italian mentality that cheese of any kind does not belong in any proximity to fish or seafood (Tuna melts? Tuna casserole? Blech). Instead, I jazzed up this mixture with a medley of sunflower and lime flavours along with the prerequisite garlic (if it's savoury and in my kitchen, garlic is in everything). With a bag of ground sunflower seeds, good quality sunflower oil, a few cloves of homegrown garlic and a sack of limes, it only took a touch of simple salt and pepper to create a vegan pesto that was the talk of the Summer BBQ, as well as a simple salmon supper last week!

Of course, I realize that lime basil isn't something you can just grab from the grocery store shelf, especially mid-Winter. While we wait for the warm weather to bring out the funky plants again (and I really do suggest growing some of this herb!), pots of genovese basil are still available (at least where we shop) so you can have your own in the kitchen. When you make this (or any other recipe calling for lime basil), just add the remaining zest from the lime.  

Shared with Wellness Weekend and Waste Not Want Not Wednesday

Cinnamon Sea Glass Candy

What's your favourite candy? I never used to like the panned, hard candy you could buy at the corner store for a nickel or two (God I sound old), preferring the sour keys and chocolate bars. When I came across the beautifully simple bags of "traditional" candy shards at a pioneer village while on a school trip, though, my whole perspective changed. They weren't exorbitantly sweet, or fancy, but they were clear as crystal with the tiniest bit of a bitter edge from being cooked on the stove in small batches. Flavourings were simple, but never skimpy - I had a major fling with cherry, lime and lemon when I was about 10 or 11, and as I got older I discovered the sinus-clearing spice of cinnamon. 

Eventually I forgot about those old pioneer candies, until I saw a blog post on The Idea Room that brought me right back. Sea Glass Candy is exactly what I picture perfect hard candy to be like - few ingredients, simple directions and absolutely nothing "fancy pants" about the whole thing. While you could certainly opt for a plain sugar brittle, I just can't stand how... plain that is. I reverted to my cinnamon-headed self (well, I am a redhead!) and tipped in a whole bottle of cinnamon candy oil.

Yes. A whole bottle. And it was delicious. But be forewarned, if you follow my lead, you will experience instant sinus clearing and possibly tear duct overflow. It's strong stuff - and the flavour lasts and lasts (not to mention is perfect for curing the winter sniffles and spring allergies!). If you don't want that much "oomph", use half a bottle. Or a different flavour. Like I said, it's such a simple candy base that it can be a million different things depending on your whimsy!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays