Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons - Quick & Easy # 5

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons 2, croppes

Trawling through that magazine pile that I told you about last week, looking for a bit of inspiration for a quick and simple Sunday dinner, I came across a recipe in the Spring 2004 edition of Dish magazine for a "Turkish Flatbread Stuffed with Blue Cheese & Figs".

The filling sounded intriguing, and I happened to have everything required on hand, but I didn't feel up for the effort of making a bread.  I was looking for something altogether more instant.  That's when I remembered the wonton wrappers that were leftover from the Creamy Pea & Egg Ravioli I made earlier in the week ... and thought, why not?

I made eight large wontons by sandwiching a spoonful of filling between two wrappers (really more ravioli style), and found that four of these per person made a great light meal with a simple green salad.  These would be equally great as an appetiser, in which case you might put a smaller amount of filling into one wrapper, folded into a triangle like a traditional wonton.  Alternatively, this filling would be fantastic spread on some good crackers, or even in a sandwich.

I also reduced the amount of filling from the original recipe, since I only had to fill a few wontons, not a whole loaf of bread.

The results were sensational - crispy pastry encasing melting blue cheese, with the soft, sweet figs, and the slightly pungent hit of garlic and black pepper.  For something that packed so much great flavour, and yet could not possibly have been quicker or easier to produce, these were a real winner.  I do hope you try them.

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons
Inspired by a recipe in the
Spring 2004 edition of Dish magazine
Vegetarian
Makes 8-10 large wontons or 16-20 small wontons

wonton wrappers

100g blue vein cheese
100g cream cheese or mascarpone
1 clove garlic, minced
6 dried figs
freshly ground black pepper

grapeseed oil (or other neutral flavoured oil) to fry
toasted sesame seeds to serve

Soak dried figs in a little hot water for about half an hour to soften and "plump up".  Drain and chop finely.

Pour oil into a large pan to a depth of 2-3cm for deep frying, set over high heat, and allow the oil to heat while you prepare the wontons.

In a small bowl, mash blue cheese till soft, then mix in cream cheese, garlic, chopped figs, and a generous grind of black pepper.

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons 8, cropped

Lay half of your wonton sheets out on a board, and place spoonfuls of the fig and cheese mixture in the centre of each sheet, leaving a clear border of about 2cm all around.

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons 6, cropped

Brush the border with a little water, then place another wonton wrapper over the top, as much as possible taking care to push out any "air" around the filling and making sure all the edges are well sealed.

Once the oil is hot, fry the wontons just a couple at a time.  They will only take a few moments, and you will need to turn them over half way through.

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons 4, edited

As soon as the wontons are golden and crispy on both sides remove to a plate,  lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess grease, and sprinkle immediately with toasted sesame seeds.

Fig & Blue Cheese Wontons 3, edited

I'm submitting this post to Magazine Mondays - mmmm, can't wait to see what else is cooking.

16 comments:

  1. I got excited as soon as I saw the title. Blue cheese and figs - awesome! See, I would never be clever enough to think of making these "raviolis" instead of the flatbread. I'm so useless at that sort of thing, lol. That was absolutely brilliant! I'm going to go check out the link now to Dish to see if the flatbread recipe is there. :o)

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  2. Oh Brenda - thank you so much - you're so kind. The flatbread recipe isn't on the link and I can't actually even find a website for the magazine other than the subscription link, but I can email the recipe to you.

    Sue

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  3. Very original twist on a recipe!

    I don't think Dish has recipes online, but you can order the digital magazine ...

    Ciao
    A.

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  4. Thanks Alessandra - and thanks for the tip on Dish - I didn't know about the digital magazine.
    Sue

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  5. I love the fig and bleu cheese combo, too...these sound pretty darn irresistible!

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  6. sign me up for a bucket of those please!

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  7. Oh boy Sue! That whole sweet,salty,creamy, crunchy thing gets me every single time. These sound amazing.

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  8. Sue,
    I love wontons - they are such magical little things aren't they? I have never had figs but the whole recipe just sounds amazing!

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  9. What a delicious, elegant treat. I've only ever eaten wontons stuffed with meat and vegetables, but you've given me a whole new perspective on their adaptability.

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  10. I think you and i have some kind of psychic connection whereby you tap into my inner desires and then make them. These look amazing!

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  11. How delicious! Love blue cheese with anything, but man oh man, FIGS! Incredible recipe, Sue.
    PS Stop by my blog today for a surprise

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  12. Thanks Heather - they are definitely irresistible - but then why would you want to :-)

    even-star - no problem, one bucketful coming your way :-)

    Hi Michele - thanks for visiting - they definitely were a great combo and delivered great contrast in tastes and textures - salty/sweet, crispy/creamy.

    Christy & Lisa - I love wontons too, and this was the first time I'd explored them in a non-traditional way. I was really pleased with the result.

    Hi Joanne - psychic connection? - or do you want to know who is really behind that secret camera that you think lurks in your apartment?! :-)

    Louanne - thanks for dropping by and for such a lovely comment. Also thank you for the lovely surprise - I really am honoured :-)

    Sue

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  13. Yum... great way to use wontons! Love the sweet/savory combo. A great nibble!

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  14. Wow that looks really creative and tasty!

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  15. Lyn, savory nest, Ranjani - thank you all so much. Yes these really did deliver that great combination of sweet/savoury, as well as crispy/creamy. I'll make them again for sure.

    Sue :-)

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