Happy Mardi Gras and "Fat Tuesday" everyone. I guess that means it's time to overindulge and then of course, give it all up tomorrow!!!
I like to tell myself that one of these days, I'll go to New Orleans and partake in the festivities. I've been there once before and had a good time; it just wasn't during Mardi Gras. I think it'd definitely be fun though, which leads me to today's funny story, or at least it's funny now, but maybe not at the time.....
With it being Mardi Gras, I attempted to make my first traditional 'King Cake', for a party, and believe me when I say that it did not go well. I usually consider myself a pretty good cook/baker, but for some reason, I just could not get the pastry dough to rise. I originally made one cake on Saturday night, but was not satisfied because it did not turn out the way I wanted (it seemed doughy). Therefore, I tried making 2 more batches on Sunday morning, and neither one of those rose. I was definitely getting frustrated (poor Jeff), and about to make a 3rd attempt when I figured I should get some new yeast. Jeff was nice enough to run to the store for me, and then I tried again. Long story short, I attempted to make a total of 8 King Cakes, and still was not 100% satisfied with the final result. I've determined that anyone who can make them look pretty is amazing to me. I apparently am not meant to live in New Orleans and definitely am not meant to make these on a regular basis or ever again.
That's enough of my kitchen failures though, so let's move on to my successes......
With it being "Fat Tuesday" and all, I decided the other night that I wanted to cook something for Jeff using a method I typically avoid, which is deep frying. So what did I deep fry? Jalapeno popper wontons to be exact. This dish is traditionally meant to be more of an appetizer, but seeing that I wasn't going to be having any, it was more than enough for Jeff to eat as a main meal. In fact, he actually had leftovers to take for lunch. Mostly because this recipe yields about 30-40 wontons; which he added, were absolutely delicious!
Enjoy!
Jalapeno Popper
Wontons
Ingredients:
Wonton
wrappers
1
(8 oz.) package of cream cheese (I always use 1/3rd less fat)
3
jalapenos, minced (seeds removed)
2/3
cup shredded cheddar cheese
Dash
of garlic powder (not too much) - optional
Dash
of cayenne pepper - optional
Vegetable
oil, for frying
Sea
Salt, for garnish
Directions:
In
a small to medium bowl and using a hand held mixer, beat the cream cheese until
smooth in texture. Add in the jalapenos
and cheddar cheese (plus garlic powder and cayenne pepper; if you desire) and
mix on a low speed until just incorporated.
Lay
out a few wonton wrappers at a time, and add about a teaspoon of filling onto
the center of each wrapper. Using your
fingers, fold the wrappers over, to form a triangle and smear a little water around
the edges to seal the two sides together.
Heat
the vegetable oil over a medium heat, until it reaches around 350 degrees. Fry the wontons in small batches until they
turn a nice golden brown. You may need
to flip them over while in the oil, just be careful as you do so. Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and
place on a plate lined with paper towel to remove the excess oil. Garnish with the sea salt while they are
still hot.
Once
they have slightly cooled, serve and enjoy!
Source: Slightly adapted from Taste and Tell
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