April 30th - Sesame Wonton Triangles with Smoked Salmon and Wasabi

WASABI: It'll clear all that up!

Good Lord! These little suckers today pack a punch!  (My sinuses have never been this clear.) Someone has got to put a warning label on this recipe!  DANGER:  MAY CAUSE FIRE IN THE NASAL CAVITIES!

There is entirely way too much wasabi paste in this recipe.  You only need 1/2 teaspoon (not the 1 1/4 teaspoon recommended).  I followed the recipe to a T and I can't taste the smoked salmon at all.  (Which is too bad because smoked salmon ain't cheap).  This recipe would also be good with some really nice fresh, raw tuna (if you're into sushi).

I think the little wonton triangles themselves are my new favorite thing.  They are so simple and look so hoity toity.  You could put all kinds of stuff on these things (with or without sesame seeds): crab salad, cheese, salmon mousse, pickled carrots, smoked trout, ceviche, texas caviar, etc, etc.  Just make sure they crisp all the way through or you'll be left with a soggy center (from experience).

THE RECIPE:
Ingredients:
Sesame oil: had
Egg white: had
Wonton Wrappers: $1.99
Rice vinegar: had
Chives: had (from my herb garden outside)
Wasabi paste: $1.99
Ginger: $0.89
Smoked Salmon: $5.99
Watercress (for garnish): had

Total: $10.86

THE RESULTS:
FAST:  Not too bad.  The triangles take 13 minutes to bake, but you've got to do the eggwash/fold technique first, which will take you about 5 minutes.  While the triangles are baking, you can get the wasabi mixture done.  So, you can have these little guys done in about 20 to 25 minutes.

EASY:  The triangles can be a bit tricky.  I found that the best way to brush some of the egg wash mixture onto the wontons, was to use my clean hands.  It eliminates a brush to wash, and I had more control over the amount of sesame oil/egg white on the wonton.  The wontons I got didn't fold in half neatly.  There was some extra wonton hanging off the end.  I just took a knife and cut that off.  Otherwise the wasabi sauce and assembly were pretty easy.

FRESH:  I bet, if the wasabi wasn't so powerful. 

OVERALL:  If you follow the recipe, all you'll taste is wasabi and experience nothing but pain.  It's a great idea, but needs to be tweaked a little.

For the weekend??  A little fruit dessert...that's all I'm saying.  See ya then!