…if what they want is GOOD food.

To be completely honest, I didn’t even realize these crispy bites were referred to as crab rangoon until recently.  Growing up, these crab and cream cheese filled wontons were known as crab cheese puffs at my family’s favorite Chinese take-out spot.  I’m pretty sure those guys were skimping on the crab because all I can remember is chomping down into a warm glob of scallion-flecked cream cheese.  Don’t get me wrong, dipped into hot Chinese mustard and highlighter-red sweet and sour sauce, I wasn’t complaining.  Today, wiser and bit more sophisticated, I need that crab.

It’s dungeness crab season here in the Bay Area, and while there might be better dishes out there that highlight the sweet, succulent flesh of these delicious creatures, crab rangoon seems like a perfectly festive nibble to serve as an hors d’oeuvre at any last minute holiday parties.  My version features a bunch of thinly sliced green onions, Worcestershire sauce for added savory depth and just a bit of grated ginger and lemon juice to cut through the richness of the cream cheese.

Continue reading crab rangoon recipe . . .

When I told my friends I was planning on making homemade mozzarella sticks for a guy’s weekend out of town the idea was met with a profound lack of enthusiasm.  Everybody knows that I like to experiment in the kitchen, but somehow the idea of making a bar food staple like mozzarella sticks from scratch seemed like a complete waste of time to the group.  After being lectured about the innumerable brands available in the freezer section at the grocery store and a heated debate about whether marinara or ranch is the better dipping accompaniment, I decided to risk further heckling and see if I couldn’t one-up T.G.I. Friday’s in my own kitchen.

It might have been the alcohol, but the first batch was gone within a matter of seconds.  Simultaneously crispy and gooey, these mozzarella sticks seem to defy the laws of physics and flavor.  After the second batch had been demolished, a few halfhearted concessions came my way; they had to admit,  homemade outranked frozen by a long shot.

With the right breadcrumbs, fragrant Italian spices and an organized assembly line for the essential double-dredging technique, perfect, scratch-made mozzarella sticks can be made at home in no time and with little effort.

With the question about whether or not it’s a waste of time to make mozzarella sticks at home answered, the question of the perfect dip remained.  We decided to go with a buttermilk dip that was tangy, cooling and delicious.  But I wouldn’t mind trying these with a marinara sauce, too.

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