Very simple.  Very tasty.  Baked, not fried.

Ingredients:

• 8 ozs. Flaked Crab meat, picked over for shell
• 8 ozs. cream cheese
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire
• 1/2 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 Tbl. Minced red onion
• 2 Minced green onions white and green parts
• 24 Wonton wrappers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Combine all ingredients, except wonton wrappers, in a food processor and process until smooth
3. On a work surface, moisten the edges of a wrapper with a little water.  Place 1 – 2 tsp of crab filling in the center of the wrapper.  Bring up the corners to form a crown and press the edges together.  Place the filled wrapper on a parchment paper covered sheet pan or cookie sheet.
4. When all of the wontons are filled, spray liberally with cooking spray.
5. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

I saw these made on a cooking show a couple of years ago.  It was one of those where the directions were incomplete and vague.  This is my version.  We use several different types of olives so it becomes a Forest Gump, box of chocolates thing.

Makes about 2 dozen

Time:  20 minutes active, 1 hour 45 minutes total

• 1 Cup flour
  

  Olive Poppers

• 1/3 Cup cheddar cheese – shredded
• 2 Tbls. cold butter
• ½ Tsp. cayenne
• ½ Tsp. salt
• ¼ Cup plus more water
• Assorted olives
• 4 Tbls. white sesame seeds
• 4 Tbls. black sesame seeds

1. To the bowl of a food processor or mixer fitted with a dough blade/hook, add the flour, cayenne, salt, butter and cheddar cheese.  Pulse a few times, scrapping down the sides until the butter is in little grains.
2. Add ¼ cup water and pulse to combine.  Add additional water, 1 Tbls. at a time, pulsing after each, until a dough just forms.
3. Turn the dough onto plastic wrap, form into a log and refrigerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 450^o
5. While the dough chills, drain the olives.
6. Combine the sesame seeds in a small dish
7. Cut the dough into coins and flatten with your fingers.  Wrap dough around individual olives.  Roll the poppers in the sesame seeds and arrange them on a parchment paper covered sheet pan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Cool slightly and serve.

Wings are the consummate bar food and are required any time you have friends over to watch the game.  I have a few different ways to do wings.  I rarely fry them, occasionally I’ll grill them, but I usually roast them in a 400 – 450 degree oven.  I buy a bunch of wings and brine them overnight.  Then I divide them up in quart freezer bags and freeze them.  This way I can thaw however many I want, and prepare them according to what sounds good at the time.  So here are my varieties:

• Polynesian Style: grilled or roasted and served with savory salt
• Caribbean Style: roasted and tossed in Wing Sauce (See below)
• Buttermilk Wings: Breaded and oven fried

Brining

You can probably get by without brining, as long as you marinade the wings for 3+ hours.  That being said, brining allows you to marinade them for a shorter time before cooking.  Anyway, brine the wings in a zip lock bag for 3 hours or overnight in a solution of 2 Tbls. each of sugar and salt per quart of water.

Marinades

For Polynesian Style Wings, marinade for 2 – 3 hours in:

• 1/2 Cup regular Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbls. 5 spice powder

For Caribbean Style Wings, marinade for 2-3 hours or overnight in equal parts:

• Regular Soy Sauce
• Sweet Vermouth or Mirin
• Fresh or frozen (thawed) pineapple crushed in a zip lock bag using your hand

For buttermilk wings, marinade overnight in equal parts:

• Buttermilk
• Louisiana Hot sauce (or brand of your choosing)

Oven Roasting

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. The buttermilk wings are great breaded with bread or cracker crumbs, corn flakes or ground pork rinds.
3. Arrange marinaded wings on an aluminum foil covered sheet pan fitted with a wire rack
4. Roast in the upper part of the oven for 30 – 40 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through

Savory Salt

• 1/4 Cup kosher salt
• 1 Tsp. Celery salt
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp Cayenne

1. Combine all ingredients in a small jar
2. Sprinkle over wings while hot

Wing Sauce #1

• 2 Tbls. Melted butter
• 2 Tbls. Canola oil
• 4 Tbls. Sriracha Sauce
• 1 Tbls. Sambal Oelek (Chile garlic sauce)

1. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together or, in a place all ingredients in a lidded jar and shake.
2. Add the cooked wings to the bowl and toss to coat.
3. Serve immediately.

Wing Sauce #2

• 2 Tbls. Melted butter
• 2 Tbls. Canola oil
• 4 Tbls. Habanero Sauce such as Louisiana or Tabasco

1. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together or, in a place all ingredients in a lidded jar and shake.
2. Add the cooked wings to the bowl and toss to coat.
3. Serve immediately.

Wing Sauce Other

• 2 Tbls. Melted butter
• 2 Tbls. Canola oil
• 4 Tbls. Whatever sauce you want

Wing Sauce Ideas:

• Try Chipotle, Piquin, Green Chile or Pica Pepper
• Heat the butter and oil in a small pan and add sliced garlic.  After the garlic cooks a bit, remove it with a slotted spoon.  Add whatever sauce you were thinking of.
• Use an Italian style tomato sauce and sprinkle the coated wings with fresh Italian herbs and crushed red pepper

These make a simple and quick appetizer.  You will need a cold smoke gun.

Time: 15 minutes

Serves 2

Tea Smoked Scallops

• 1/4 Cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 Cup sugar or WheyLow
• 4 fresh sea scallops
• 1 Tbls. Butter
• 1 Tbls. Olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 5 spice powder
• 1 tea bag of Chai tea

1. In a small sauce pan dissolve the sugar or WheyLow in the soy sauce, set aside to cool
2. Thoroughly dry and lightly season the scallops on both sides with salt, pepper and the 5 spice powder.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the scallops until nicely browned and cooked through – about 2 minutes per side.
4. Cut open the tea bag and load the smoke gun with the loose tea
5. Place the scallops in a small glass dish and cover with plastic wrap.  Place the smoker tube under the plastic and light the tea.  Smoke for 1 minute and remove the plastic wrap.
6. Place 2 scallops on each small serving plate and garnish the plate with the soy glaze.
7. Serve immediately.

Note: Only smoke the scallops for 1 minute.  Allow the scallops to sit in the open for 2-3 minutes while you plate them and garnish.  This allows the bitter parts of the smoke flavor to dissipate.

This is surprisingly easy to make, and you can serve it dozens of cool ways.

Tuna Tartare

• 1/3 – ½ Lb. Sashimi Grade Tuna
• Sesame oil
• Sriracha Sauce
• Soy Sauce (rather than salt)

1. Cut cold tuna into ¼ inch dice.  Make these as uniform as possible.
2. Gently toss diced tuna first with a little sesame oil to taste, then Sriracha and finally soy sauce to taste.
3. Serve immediately on won ton chips, or Chinese soup spoons.
4. Garnish with snips of chives or toasted sesame seeds
   

   Tuna tartar in a cucumber cup garnished with sesame seeds and chives.

    

To make the towers you will need a food mold.  We used a 2 3/4 inch mold for the towers pictured above.  Spray the molds with cooking spray and press 1/4 of the tartar into the bottom of a mold.  Cover the tartar with a little wasabi roe and cover with another 1/4 of the tuna.  Cover the top with wasabi roe and garnish with sour cream.  You can extend the wasabi roe by covering only the edges of the tower.

To make the cucumber cups.  Cut a 3/4 inch piece of English cucumber.  Using a sharp spoon, gently scoop out a portion of the seeds, leaving some for the “bottom.”  Fill with the tartar and garnish with chives, sesame seeds, pickled jalapenos, ginger, wasabi cream or what ever you can dream up.