PERSIMMON CAKES

April is going out like a lion. Is there something amiss here? After our lovely "false" spring in south central Montana, we have been dealt a cold and windy week with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s and winds gusting up to 50 mph in some parts of the valley. The pink ground cover was in bloom before this cold snap--but it's tough and should make it.

Warming up the kitchen with something baking in the oven sounded like a good idea this morning with sleet coming down outside. I found a quart carton of Santa Barbara persimmons in the freezer from last fall and decided to do something with this delicious golden pulp.

Taking an idea from the classic apple sauce cakes of my youth, I substituted persimmon pulp with good success. I had enough ingredients on hand for two cakes--comparing cake flour with all purpose flour and using two different shapes of baking pans.

This recipe works well with apple sauce, of course, persimmons, and plums. In keeping with our determination to use local fruits (the persimmons were personally picked from our children's tropical yard in Santa Barbara, and packed and flown home in my suitcase last October. We let some ripen on the counter and ate them in hand. Delicious. The extras are peeled, crushed and frozen for holiday baking. Many families have pails full of plums in the summer, and apples in the fall that they are eager to share. Take advantage of it!

A tip on preparing the cake pans:

I love parchment paper and always use it to line cookie sheets and baking pans. Take one minute to line the pan bottom with parchment and you will pat yourself on the back over and over again. It makes cake removal a snap. No more sticking! And easy cleanup.

Place pan or tin on a piece of parchment paper and draw around it with a lead pencil. Cut out the shape and pop it in the pan. Lightly butter the non-papered sides. That's it. Some cookbooks insist on buttering the paper, too, but I have not found that necessary. For the tube pan, do the same, and then fold the circle of paper into quarters and snip out a circle to fit over the tube. Drop it in and lightly butter the sides of the pan.

Persimmon Pulp Spice Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Variation for the 9" tube pan:

Beat until creamy in mixer:

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup white (or brown) sugar

Add 1 large egg and mix well.

Sift 1 3/4 cups cake flour (see photo for tidy sifting tip) into a measuring cup set in a larger bowl which will catch overflow.
Add 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. allspice (or nutmeg) to the flour and toss with a fork until the colored spices disappear. No need to sift again unless you want to.

Gradually add the flour and spices to the egg mixture. Just incorporate--don't over mix.

Add 1 generous cup fruit pulp
Add 1 cup raisins
Add 1 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)

Mix until just smooth. With aid of a rubber spatula, distribute evenly into tube pan.

Bake 50 minutes and test for done with a wooden skewer or thin blade table knife. Done when knife comes out clean. This is a robust cake and it can take up to 60 minutes, depending on ovens, etc.

When done, remove from oven and cool on the counter for a few minutes. If your pan has a removable tube, run a table knife around the sides (if necessary), and lift out the tube for faster cooling. If tube portion cannot be removed, leave cake in the pan until completely cool. If you try to turn it over and remove cake while warm, cake may break apart. When cool, peel off parchment paper. Cake may now be eaten as is, simply dusted with powdered sugar, or iced with your favorite frosting (lemon or caramel are good). This style of cake "packs" well--great for lunch boxes, backpacks, picnics, or mailing to lucky friends.

Variation for the single layer cake pan (a 9" spring form pan is pictured):

Same recipe as above, but used All Purpose flour. "Cake flour" was invented for the super sweet American-style box mixes popularized in the 1950s. For cakes with dried fruits (raisins), nuts, and other coarse ingredients, there is no difference in final result. Save your money! There are other drawback to cake flours (very low protein flours) that you can investigate online. Cake flours in the US are heavily bleached with chlorine dioxide or chlorine gas to improve certain chemical performance which I do not find necessary.

This variation used 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. finely ground black pepper instead of cinnamon and nutmeg which are more traditional and go well with apples. I enjoy a little more spice, hence the black pepper. We should try one with some chili pepper, too. Don't forget the baking soda.

The single layer bakes in slightly shorter time--50 minutes was plenty.

If using a spring form pan, release the lock and remove the side portion of the pan. Cool completely on the removable base. When cool, cover cake with a plate large enough to hold it, turn it over onto the plate and remove the pan base, and then carefully peel off the paper. Ready to serve or embellish with icings, etc.

Enjoy!

KGC

THE SCENTS OF SPRING

Today is over 70 degrees F. Spring is here at last.

Take a look at the herbs popping up all over the yards. They are mixed in with the blooming perennials and so far, are making a great start. We also have picked our first handful of asparagus from our little patch--can't wait to try them at dinner.


Pictured are a clump of chives, the early rhubarb, a row of garlic with thyme and sorrel in the background and asparagus.


Seedling update----everything previously listed on March 18 post is doing well with the exception of the Greek oregano. It is always a tough herb to germinate, and this season was no exception--the few fragile sprouts couldn't make it---I'll buy some plants when the nursery opens. I also buy the basil plants.

A Black Bean Soup
We were looking for a simple dinner on Thursday, so soaked a pound of black beans overnight and cooked them in the morning. See January 10 post for other dried bean techniques.

Discard the soaking water and rinse beans well in a strainer or colander. Cover with fresh water and and small amounts of left over stock that you may want to use from the freezer. I had two small freezer cartons of chicken stock on hand (about 1 cup total) and and the juices from our Easter ham (chilled and all fat removed before freezing) amounting to another 1/2 cup. Drop them in frozen and simmer away. Additional flavorings like these stocks are optional, but they add great flavor to the beans. We don't doctor the ham while roasting--no sweet glazes, honey, or mustards, for example. Hence the unadulterated roast drippings can be used in a variety of ways later. Add 3-4 bay leaves in any case. The miracle herb.

After simmering about 60 minutes, or until beans are tender to the bite, I puree about 2 cups of canned tomatoes (or fresh if you have them) in the blender with a pinch (1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder), salt if needed (remember the ham drippings), and a teaspoon of fine grind black pepper. Blend with your hand blender, but do not puree the beans---leave about half of them intact--it looks better! Gently reheat and set aside until time to eat. This may be made ahead, but if you don't plan to use it the same day, please refrigerate. Leftover soup freezes well.

We love carmelized fried onions, and like to put about 1/4 of a cup of these onions (the consistency of a chutney) in the soup bowl first , and then ladle on the black bean soup. Enjoy with a green salad and crusty roll.

KGC

TOFU Tidbit from Rawhide Ranch

We"re back! R & R to New York City for ten days, taking in wonderful opera, theater, and art gallery experiences. A later blog will feature some of the goodies we enjoyed at restaurants.

Please note the update on the seedling starts as pictured on the March 18 blog. Seeds are up and thriving--pictured are cukes, tomatoes, and parsley. Starts need 60 days indoors before putting out in the garden, so we are well within the time limits. I plan to start some giant sunflower seeds and a few more cucumbers today. It's warm and sunny in the living room nursery.

This post features a favorite Tofu appetizer or lunch dish that is easy to make ahead and serve chilled or at room temperature. The original idea is from an artist friend who summers in the mountains of Montana. Thank you, Michael!

"Rawhide" Oven Roasted Tofu

Preheat oven to 400 F

Prepare a 14 oz package of extra firm tofu cake: Place on a plastic cutting board and divide into about 8 slices across the cake, and one down the middle, yielding 16 bites. Elevate the end of the board toward the sink and let the tofu drain while you assemble the marinade.

Marinade:

Measure marinade ingredients into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and save cleanup:

4 ounces soy sauce (regular or low salt)
4 ounces rice vinegar
4 ounces honey

4 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated into the measuring cup
1 large clove garlic, split lengthwise and smashed with edge of a wide knife blade
(garlic is option, but it is a great balance with the sweetness of the honey)

Mix well.

Assembly:

Place pieces of tofu in a glass baking dish--we use one of our several old glass bread pans.

Pour marinade over--does not need to cover completely.

Bake in middle rack of oven for about 20 minutes (marinade should be bubbling).

Remove from oven and cool in the marinade.

For service, lift out tofu pieces and arrange 2 or 3 on a serving plate. Garnish with a few edamame beans or other red or green cooked veggies.

Strain marinade into a glass jar and refrigerate. Reboil and use again if desired.

Keep cooking......

KGC

SQUARES & BARS: THE EASY SWEET TREAT

Growing up in the heartland and child of Scandanavians, I love sweets. Not the candy bar variety as a rule, but the buttery home made delights that almost floated over the plate. One day I will photograph my Norwegian Grandmother's collection of pasty irons for you--they are works of art. Sadly they remain mostly unused since her passing in 1975. My own Mom made beautiful lefse and taught me, but I rarely make it. During the Christmas holiday season in Montana, a wonderful lefse is available at our local markets from Opheim, a small town near the Canadian border. Since lefse is habit forming and caloric the way I like it, it's a good thing the small packages are very expensive. Lefse making is a technique---the recipe ingredients are simple (like so many things). Let me know if you are interested.

Making drop cookies is time consuming. Mixing the dough is quick, so don't bother to run out and buy some commercial frozen mix. It's the standing around while baking batches. I'll mix the dough, you come over and bake it!

Some genius developed the cookie "bar" or "square", which is the delicious dough baked all at once in a sheet pan and cut into squares. I think "bar" is a heartland word, and when I heard it in my California days, I knew I had met a native.

There are at least a million varieties of the cookie square. Here are two of my favorites, one very nutty and buttery and the other a bit more "healthy" if you will, but equally delicious for date lovers. The photos show smoothing the base crust with a half round plastic gadget that I can't live without, (palm of the hand works, too), pouring the topping over a partially baked base crust, and smoothing the topping (the nuts in this example).

NUT SQUARES
Preheat oven to 350 F
Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan

Base Crust:

Place in food processor with metal blade:

1 stick butter (cut into 6 pieces)
2 cups flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon freshly grated (zest) grapefruit or orange rind (optional, but wow!)

Pulse in processor until evenly crumbly--don't over process or let it clump into a ball.

Pat into prepared pan, smooth it over so crust is even.

Bake about 20 minutes. Don't brown it--just set it.
Remove from oven and set aside until topping is ready.

Nut Mixture Topping:

3 1/2+ cups chopped nuts (Combo of hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazils, pecans, pine nuts, etc. I like at least two kinds and have used up to four--depending on what I have on hand.)

1 stick butter (can go up to 1 1/2 sticks if desired)
1/2 cup flavorful honey
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch of thyme or pinch of lavender buds if desired (optional)

Cook ingredients (except nuts) in a heavy bottom sauce pan until all butter and sugar is dissolved. As mix comes to a slight boil, remove from heat, add chopped nuts immediately, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour onto crust, spread evenly, and return to oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Do not over bake or the topping will caramelize (still tastes great) and very hard to cut. Cut into squares with a metal pastry cutter or sharp pizza wheel, or a kitchen knife. When cool, store in airtight plastic or tin container, separated by waxed paper or parchment. Keeps well for several days.

* I chop nuts in the food processor. Just pulse a few times until they are the size you want. For these squares, they should be fairly coarse, not dust. Your preference. Pulse with a pinch of salt to enhance flavor as this is a very sweet treat. If nuts are very oily, add a teaspoon sugar for pulsing---keeps nuts from sticking.


Divine Date Squares/Bars
Preheat oven to 350 F
Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan

Date Mixture topping:

Place in a heavy bottom sauce pan:

16 oz (1 pound) chopped dates
If you buy a commercial package of dates, they are likely sugared. If you plan to chop your own, add 3/4 cup white sugar to the sauce pan.

1 cup water
1 tablespoon liquid vanilla

Cook until the water is mostly absorbed and the dates are soft and mushy. Cool to room temperature.

Base Crust:

Melt 1 cup butter (2 sticks) and set aside. (30 seconds in my microwave--cover container with plastic film or a glass cover--this splatters). Set aside to slightly cool off.

Place in food processor:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (whole non-instant oatmeal)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter

Pulse listed dry ingredients. Add melted butter and pulse again until just mixed.

Press into 9 x 13 inch pan and smooth over (see above recipe and photo).

Top with date mixture and spread evenly.

If you desire some contrast on the dark topping, scatter over a tablespoon or two or oats before baking.

Bake in oven 20 - 25 minutes. Cut into squares as in nut recipe. This one softer and is easier to cut.

Thanks for tuning in! Happy cooking!

KGC

A Bit 'o the Green: Seedlings Started

We enjoyed a record breaking 72 degrees F on St. Patrick's Day. So, the momentum to get those little seedlings started was irresistible. A winter storm warning for TOMORROW doesn't stop us. It won't last now because the ground is warming up.

See the strawberry plants peeking through last year's dead foliage--they are truly evergreens.

I begin tomatoes in the house in my recycled yogurt cartons. I purchase Sweet 100 plants, however, as they are plentiful at local nurseries. My more unusual varieties did very well last year in our hot, short season. I am also a cucumber lover and start those inside. Zucchini is easy to grow and doesn't transplant very well for me, so I put them right in the big patio tubs as soon as it's warm enough (Memorial Day, unless covered outside). We have been raising veggies in a few patio tubs for the last two seasons and find it works very well--can move them around and cover easily if weather changes.

Tomato varieties: Pomodoro San Marzano Nano (Roma sauce type), Master F1 (beef steak variety), Black Master TM 34, Amana Orange (I love orange globe tomatoes--used to plant "taxi" but seeds aren't as available.) Orange and yellow tomatoes are generally low acid. We make lots of plain tomato sauce to freeze with any over runs.

Cucumbers include Asian burpless for their beauty, and "Marketmore 76" for slicers.

I use tons of parsley, curly and flat leaf, so we have one tub of each. Greek oregano--it's a perennial, but never have enough to dry! And summer savory is another favorite to dry.

And finally some small globe eggplants (Baluori EP 06) which have been hard for me to germinate, but I'm trying again. They require a longer season than we usually have, but let us hope this summer will be a long one. Eggplant flower buds are beautiful.

Thyme, Tarragon, various mints, lemon balm, and culinary sage are strong perennials and will miraculously provide for us on their own.

Seed starting tips:

I buy a new 1.5 cubic foot bag of Miracle Grow Garden Soil every season. About half is used for seed starts and the rest goes outside to augment patio pots, etc. Since we start seeds in the house, I never bring in outdoor soil--bugs, mold, etc., could be introduced.

My recycled cartons were cleaned at the end of last season. They have 3-4 slashes cut in their bottoms for drainage (use a scissor or small knife). For tomatoes, I fill half full with the dirt, and as the young plants grow and get "leggy" I just add more dirt to support them. 4 seeds planted per carton---then I know just how many germinated. In 6-8 weeks, depending on their size, I'll split the carton into two cartons and re-establish for a couple of weeks before transplanting to the garden. We'll show that process when time is right. Don't forget to LABEL the cartons.

Seeds need to be moist, but not wet. We will be out of town for a few days, so I mist them with a spray bottle of water, and cover with plastic to keep them warm and moist in the living room. They don't need sun until they germinate. Keep your fingers crossed!

I show the patio pots because we just turned over the soil after winter--it will improve with fresh air and sun and be ready for next month. All winter we dump our used tea leaves in these pots kept by the back door. Montana soil in this region is very basic (alkaline) and tea improves acidity.

Try some seedlings! Kids love to watch them sprout and grow.

1 POTATO, 2 POTATO, 3 POTATO....

It's a good weekend to finish off a 20 pound bag of potatoes! Sunny, but still only in the 40s.
We'll be thinking about St. Patrick's Day and corned beef soon.

The potato is a native tuber-bearing plant of South America. It was introduced to northern Europe in the mid-1500s. The chemist Antoine August Parmentier declared the potato "safe and edible" for France in 1773. The bistro style preparation of "Potatoes Parmentier" is still popular today: cut peeled raw potatoes into half inch cubes, fry in butter, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve with roast meats. We all love the versatile potato.

Two classics and a low cal fast cooking variation will be discussed today. Pommes de terre a la dauphinoise (American scalloped potatoes) and Pommes de terre a la savoyarde (scalloped with broth instead of cream) and the ubiquitous "oven fry".

OK--they're all simple to make. Let's dive in.

The classic: Potatoes a la dauphinoise (gratineed or browned crisply in oven)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Prepare the milk covering liquid:
Put all ingredients into a small sauce pan, over low heat:

1 cup whole milk (add more if needed)
2-3 large cloves garlic, peeled and flattened
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground white pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (about ten gratings of whole nutmeg give the most taste)

Next:

Peel and slice into rounds 3# baking potatoes (do not rinse after slicing--surface starch is needed)
Arrange overlapping slices in a lightly buttered oven proof dish (about 9 x 13 for this amount)
(see photo)
Bring milk to a boil and pour over potatoes. Shake pan slightly to distribute liquid.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in oven until most of milk is absorbed (15-20 minutes).
Heat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream in the same saucepan.
Remove potatoes from oven, uncover, and pour over potatoes. Dot with 3 tablespoons butter and return to oven.
Bake uncovered another 20 - 25 minutes or until potatoes and cream topping have turned golden brown (see photo). Turn dish if your oven heats unevenly. You'll be able to tell.

When done, let sit for 5 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve. Goes well with grilled meats and fish, or as a main course with green salad and a glass of wine. Great leftover.

The Bistro Style (a la savoyarde)
This style is much lower fat, and can be eaten more often!

Follow the same procedure as above, but use your "white" broth instead of milk and cream. Also omit nutmeg, which is a flavoring touch used for white cream sauces only. Chicken stock, veal stock, vegetarian stock will be excellent choices. Adjust salt as needed.

Use any potatoes you wish--varietals, waxy, russet bakers, etc.
Use about 2 1/2 cups boiling broth (don't forget the garlic)
Add several springs of fresh chopped parsley
Add some thyme, herbes de Provence, etc., if desired.
After first baking under foil, remove from oven, uncover, and sprinkle with grated cheese
(Swiss, Parmesan, or your choice).
Return to oven and bake until edges of potatoes are brown and crusty (up to 40 minutes in all)

Oven Fries

Use any kind of raw potato, including sweet potatoes or yams. Experiment with root vegetables!
Preheat oven to 450 F
Line a cookie sheet or baking plaque with aluminum foil and place in oven to heat while you are working.

Peel (optional) and slice raw potatoes into wedges or French fry sized sticks (see photo)
Toss slices in 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt, and any herbs you desire (I used rosemary and black pepper for the wedges, and paprika and bits of dried onion for the sticks. Any herbal combination you like is fine. Balance with what you are serving. Don't use too much oil--they'll be lower cal and stay crisper.

Carefully remove hot baking sheet from the oven and quickly scatter slices over the surface. The pre-heating gives them a fast start.

Lower heat to 400 F and bake about 20 minutes, until done. Test one. Turn once if needed for more browning, but if the oven is hot enough it probably won't be.

Eat immediately! If you are preparing oven fries for a dinner menu, you can prepare slices ahead and bake at the very last minute. They do not hold well.

In an emergency, leave in the oven with heat turned off until you can serve them.

Enjoy.

KGC

ASIAN DUMPLINGS & WRAPPERS

It's melting! Spring is on the way. March is coming in like a lamb. So far.

As promised today we will discuss the versatile Asian dumpling. These little packages are delicious, easy to make, and contain just about any filling you can imagine. We will stick with basic Japanese and Chinese seasonings, but please expand your repertoire to all of Southeast Asia and the Pacific as well!

Making your own allows you the freedom of complete control over ingredients--- hot, salty, or not, and flexibility in shapes and cooking methods. You may make your own wrappers, too. They are made from flour, salt, tapioca or cornstarch, and sometimes eggs. However, getting them rolled and "right" is another story. Supermarket wraps work very well. If you can't find the shape you want, rounds, for example, simply cut them from the squares with biscuit cutters or pizza cutters (see photo).

Basic shapes include the pillow (looks like a raviola), the envelope pouch with twist variations, the crescent, and the roll (for spring roll type).

Cooking techniques depend on your plans for use. Boiled dumpling packets are added to soups and require a more secure wrap so they don't open during cooking. Open top styles contain fillings that finish best with steaming. Crescents or pot stickers are fried in a skillet. Rolls are usually deep fried in oil. Decide ahead if your little packages will be eaten with fingers or as soup, or a main course.

Fillings for Asian style dumplings are typically a combination of PROTEIN + VEGETABLE + SEASONINGS. Proteins may include pork, chicken, shellfish, beef, and tofu. Vegetables may include onion, scallion, leek, mushroom, bean sprout, bok choi, shredded carrot, shredded cabbage, daikon, etc. Seasonings include ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powders, cilantro, parsley, drops of sesame oil, etc. Classics are shrimp and ginger, pork and garlic, tofu with ginger and scallion. Again, experiment with your favorites and use what's in the refrigerator (or soon the garden) to make wonderful dishes from ingredients at hand.

Dipping sauces may be commercially purchased (chili pastes, for example) or simply made combinations of soy with ginger, wasabi powder or paste, and citrus juices. Sweetened rice vinegar with finely diced red onion or scallion is also popular. Use spicier dipping sauces with a mild filling, and a milder dipping sauce with spicy fillings to achieve balance in your meal.

Prepare your wrappers. See photos for ideas. Pillows are made from two squares (usually 3" squares, with a teaspoon (or more) of filling in between. Wet the area around the filling with your finger and the two pieces will stick together. Make a triangle shape by folding a square over a teaspoon of filling and seal. Make a wonton by folding a square (with filling) into a triangle and bringing the opposite tips of the dough together and sealing with water. Crescents are made with rounds (cut from 6" squares with cookie or biscuit cutters if you can't find rounds in the store), filled and sealed. Critical: be sure to neatly apply filling to wrapper, and seal well or filling will escape during cooking. Vary the size according to use as a meal course, or a finger food. My personal favorites use as little wrapper dough as possible--I don't roll and twist into the "candy wrapper" style--too much extra dough. I love pillows and crescents. Fancy restaurants often serve one large dumpling in a sauce or broth--it will have bigger filling and extra dough. See photo of large triangle with centered filling. Cut fancy shapes after filling if desired.

Basic Dumpling Filling (For about 20 dumplings)

Put into a food processor:

4 ounces boneless pork (a chop), trimmed of all fat and cubed
4 medium to large shrimp, cut in pieces
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch of cilantro, stems removed
Couple of Napa cabbage leaves, cut up before adding
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Pulse until well mixed and texture of meatloaf. If large ingredients are cut into cubes or chunks before processing, you will not over process. Don't make puree.

Scoop out into a smaller bowl for easier access.
Work station set up: Prepared wrapper shapes covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying (dry dough won't stick together), flat plate or plastic cutting board for filling and rolling, small bowl cold water for sticking dough together, teaspoon for measuring filling, another plate (lightly oiled to prevent dough from sticking to plate) for holding finished pieces, plastic wrap to cover finished pieces as you work so they don't dry out. Don't worry about perfection. You'll get the hang of it.

Now we cook. For boiled dumplings (won tons) to serve with your Dashi and other broths, bring a sauce pan of salted water to boil, gently drop in dumplings and simmer for about 12 minutes, depending on size. Test one by biting a corner of the dough to see if it is done (al dente). They will float like little clouds when done.

For steamed dumplings, the ideal is a wok and Chinese steamer, but you can make one with any large sauce pan and a vegetable steamer basket. Holding a round of dough in your hand, cup it like a little tulip and fill. If you can dry these first in cupcake tin or little molds, they hold together better. Bring water to a boil, place a couple of cabbage or lettuce leaves in the basket and set the "tulips" on top (provides support). Set steamer or rack over boiling water, cover, and steam for 12-15 minutes. If they collapse, roll them over onto themselves with a chopstick or soft spatula, and continue. They will taste fine.

For pan fried dumplings (pot stickers) use a two part method. First heat 2 tablespoons peanut or other vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in non-stick try pan until hot. Add the crescents. Fry uncovered until they are nice and brown on first side. Adjust heat so they don't burn. Remove from heat momentarily, turn over with a plastic spatula, add 1/2 cup water and cover. Return to heat and cook another 2-3 minutes. Second side will not be browned. Remove from liquid and serve with your favorite dipping sauce (not catsup, please).

My favorite dipping sauce for pot stickers: 1/3 soy sauce, 2/3 citrus juice (usually lemon, but can be a combination of grapefruit, lemon, orange). Sweetened rice vinegar also delicious. Adjust proportions to your taste.

Can't wait to hear your results!

KGC

THE BOOK on far eastern cooking culture is Corinne Trang's "Essentials of Asian Cuisine: Fundamentals and Favorite Recipes" (2003). Take a look.