Wonton Plum Shortcakes Food

ROASTED PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• For the shortcake biscuits: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt. Whisk to combine and evenly distribute the leavening. Add the shortening and butter and toss to coat the fat just a bit with the flour. Using your fingertips, gently work the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with some pea-size chunks of fat.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg, and add this to the flour mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon. Then, gently work through the mixture with your hands to separate any wet patches and bring the dough together.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, fold it over a few times and knead gently until it just holds together. Pat the dough into a rough 1/2-inch-tall rectangle. Cut out biscuits with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Pat the scraps together and cut an additional biscuit. You should have 6 to 8 biscuits. Evenly space the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Set aside.
• For the roasted plums: Pour the butter into a shallow baking dish and tip from side to side to coat the bottom. Add the maple syrup and orange juice, swirling to "stir" the mixture. Line the baking dish with the plums, flesh-side down.
• Bake both the biscuits and plums for about 20 minutes. Remove the biscuits when golden brown. Continue to cook the plums until the juices have thickened, about another 15 minutes. Cool completely before assembling.
• For the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form.
• To assemble: Split four of the biscuits horizontally in half; reserve the remaining biscuits for another use (see Cook's Note). Place the bottom of each biscuit on a serving plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream, followed by a few plum slices and their juices. Top with the biscuit tops.

OATMEAL SHORTCAKES WITH SPICED PLUMS

Steps:

• Make shortcakes:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk; stir until dough forms.
• Drop dough onto prepared baking sheet, forming six 2 1/2-inch-diameter biscuits and spacing 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden and tester inserted into biscuit comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Make fruit:
• Combine plums, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until plums release their juices but are still firm, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add butter. Stir until butter melts. Cool slightly.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream and powdered sugar in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Using serrated knife, slice off top 1/3 of biscuits. Transfer biscuit bottoms to plates. Spoon half of plum mixture over biscuits. Spoon whipped cream atop plum mixture. Spoon remaining plum mixture atop cream, dividing equally. Place biscuit tops over plum mixture. Serve immediately.

WARM PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). In a large bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the butter and using your fingers work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the heavy cream, and set aside the pod. Add the heavy cream to the flour mixture, and stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured surface, pat out dough, 3/4-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to cut into 12 rounds. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1-inch between biscuits. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be made ahead and frozen, in a resealable plastic bag, for up to 1 month.
• In a medium skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and vanilla pod. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add plums and cook, stirring, until plums are slightly softened and heated through, about 4 minutes. Discard vanilla pod.
• Split cooled biscuits horizontally. Top with plums and whipped cream. Serve immediately.

PEAR AND HAZELNUT WONTONS

Steps:

• In a saute pan over medium heat, toast nuts for approximately 4 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Reserve.
• In a saute pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add pears and nuts and saute for approximately 5 minutes, or until pear begins to brown. Add Poire William, let it heat for 5 seconds, then ignite with a flame. Stand back! If flame does not burn out after 10 seconds, smother with a lid. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Place a small bowl of warm water beside wonton wrappers. Put a single won ton wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon 1 teaspoon of pear mixture onto the center. Dip your finger in water and trace a circle around the pear mixture with your wet finger (water is the glue of wonton wrappers). Pinch and seal wrapper around pear mixture like a small beggar's purse. If you are not going to fry the wontons immediately, cover with a damp dishtowel and refrigerate.
• Pour peanut oil into a pot or heavy skillet until it is 1-inch deep. Turn heat to medium-
• high and heat oil. When you think oil is ready, drop in a tiny piece of a wonton skin. If oil sizzles immediately, you are ready to rock. If oil begins to smoke at any time, remove pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Fry as many wontons at 1 time as your skillet will accommodate-without letting them touch. Fry or 30 seconds, or until the bottom side is golden brown. Then turn over for 15 more seconds, or until top side is the same color. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large brown paper grocery bag, or paper towels, to drain excess oil. Proceed to next batch.
• Place powdered sugar in a small strainer and hold strainer over wontons. Tap strainer gently to dust won tons with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Serve immediately
• Recommended beverage: Poire William

PLUM AND BLACK CHERRY BUTTERMILK SHORTCAKES WITH GINGER CARDAMOM WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• For the buttermilk shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Chill 2 large mixing bowls, a pastry cutter, the flour and cubed butter in the freezer for 15 minutes before assembling the shortcakes.
• Add the flour to one of the chilled mixing bowls. Working quickly, cut the butter into the flour using the chilled pastry cutter (or your fingers); the goal here is pea-size balls of butter. In batches, add the buttermilk until the dough is cohesive yet still moist. (You may not need all of it.) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and lightly press into a 1-inch-thick round. Using a 4-inch biscuit cutter or the business end of a dry measuring cup, cut out 8 biscuits.
• Preheat a cast iron skillet in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Swirl the oil in the bottom of the skillet and gently arrange the biscuits in the skillet, making sure they are all nestled up against each other tightly.
• Brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Bake until the tops are just slightly golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• For the plums and cherries: Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the plums, cherries, granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, ginger and cinnamon. Cook, stirring very gently as the fruit releases its juice, until the fruit is slightly soft, a few minutes. Take off the heat and add the butter. Gently stir until melted.
• For the ginger cardamom whipped cream: In the other cold bowl, mix together the cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, cardamom and ginger. Beat to medium peaks.
• For assembly: Split a warm shortcake with a fork. Place the bottom on a plate or shallow bowl and spoon on some of the warm plum and cherry mixture. Dollop on some whipped cream and sprinkle with some candied walnuts. Top with the top of the shortcake. Spoon on some more of the warm plum and cherry mixture, dollop on more whipped cream and sprinkle with more candied walnuts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 7 more.

MOM'S WONTON

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the ground pork over medium heat until no longer pink.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, ground pork, green onions, ginger, and water chestnuts. Mix in the cornstarch, garlic salt, and sugar. Mix in the dry sherry, chili oil, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
• Place about one teaspoon of the mixture in the center of each won ton wrapper. Bring points of the wrapper together (in a triangular shape) and pinch the edges, sealing them closed with egg whites.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Carefully place won tons into boiling water without crowding. (Work in batches if necessary.) When the wontons float to the surface, add a cup of cold water and allow the water to come to a boil again. Then remove from the boiling water.