Goat Cheese and Jalapeño Rangoon
Okay, I’m finally crawling out of my funk! All week, I’ve been a mope, but I finally got a good night’s sleep, decorated the house with pretty branches of eucalyptus, watched an array of singing competitions (nothing like mediocre singers trying really hard to lift the spirits), and got a stack of new cookbooks to dive into. Not quite feeling 100, but I’ll get there.
I think I’ve been feeling a little lost since I met my manuscript deadline. Working on the book anchored me all year. I strive off of project goals and milestones. Not that I still don’t have a few loose ends to tie up, but most of the pressure has been lifted off my shoulders. Whenever I had a free moment, I treated it like another opportunity to retest a recipe or rework a headnote. The book was always top priority. Now my time is so flexible and I’m not really sure how to prioritize my time and new projects. I’ve always been a creature of habit and changes in my day to day take a while to set in.
I’ve started to make dumplings again, which sounds weird because I feel like I’m talking about dumplings all the time. I’ve been making dumplings for my virtual classes all year, but I really haven’t had the time to develop new dumplings and folds. Making dumplings instantly makes me feel better. I almost forgot the meditative effect it has on me. I made the Spicy Beef and Basil Dumplings about a month ago, but in the last 2 weeks I made these Goat Cheese and Jalapeno Rangoons, a new crystal dumpling (coming next week!), and my first ever soup dumplings! My freezer is quickly filling up with more dumps and less buns and it feels great.
jalapeño poppers in a dumpling?!
So let’s talk about these Goat Cheese and Jalapeño Rangoon! I will admit that I’m an avid lover of Crab Rangoon, despite the fact there’s really nothing Chinese about it other than the dumpling wrapper. I love the smooth, tangy cream cheese and how it contrasts with crispy fried dumpling wrappers. Give me a bottle of sweet chili sauce and I’m in HEAVEN.
These rangoons are a play on Jalapeño Poppers and they literally couldn’t be easier to make. All you need is Roth Cheese Garlic and Herb Chevre, jalapeños, some salt and pepper, and homemade or store bought dumpling wrappers. I love using the Garlic and Herb Chevre because it already has so much inherent flavor and it makes a super creamy filling when you let it soften. The jalapeños are charred on the stovetop for a slightly smokey flavor and takes the raw edge off of the pepper. Not all jalapeños are the same level of spiciness, so taste them first before adding 2 full peppers in there! The goat cheese mellows the spiciness of jalapeños, so it’s not too over the top spicy. I’m normally not a jalapeño lover, but I couldn’t stop myself from finishing a plate of these!
folding the prettiest rangoon
I made homemade wrappers for these rangoon because I wanted to fold them into my star dumplings, which work best with a thin and slightly stretchy dumpling wrapper. Fresh dumpling wrappers also stick together easier and don’t need extra water to dab the edges to help stick. Star dumplings take time a patience, but I have these days is time! You can definitely use store bought dumpling wrappers, preferably thin wonton wrappers, and wrap them in the classic four point rangoon fold.
If you want to make star dumplings, watch my tutorial here!
crispy golden fried rangoon!
The easiest step, aside from mixing the filling, and cooking them! Rangoon are such a treat because they are fried! I’ve seen recipes for oven baked rangoon, but every once in a while you deserve a crispy fried dumpling! Since the filling is essentially “cook” and the wrappers are so thin, these fry up incredibly fast and don’t taste greasy at all. Just make sure the oil is at the proper deep fry temperature. If you have a thermometer it should read at about 365 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer you can test the temperature with an extra dumpling wrapper, if it floats in a few seconds and crisps up in 30 to 45 seconds you’re good to go. My mom also likes to test the temperature with a pair of wooden chop sticks. If you stick the chopsticks in the oil and see a bunch of tiny bubbles around them the oil is hot enough.
Don’t forget to serve with some sweet chili sauce for a little brightness!
Goat Cheese and jalapeño Rangoon
Makes 22 to 24
1-2 jalapeños (depending on how spicy they are)
8 ounces (2 logs) Roth Cheese Garlic and Herb Chevre, softened
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of white pepper
Wonton wrappers, store-bought or homemade (recipe below)
Cornstarch, for dusting
Canola or other neutral-flavored oil, for frying
Sweet chili sauce, for serving
Char the jalapeños on an open burner until blistered all over. Allow the jalapeños to cool for 5 minutes. Finely mince and mix with softened goat cheese in a medium bowl. Season with salt and white pepper and mix until combined.
Working with one wrapper at a time, fill the wrapper with 2 teaspoons of goat cheese filling. Fold the edges into a star shape (see video here) and pinch close. If using store-bought wrappers, you will need to dab the edges with water in order for the wrapper to stick together. Place the formed rangoon on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Heat 3-inches of oil in a heavy bottom pot or wok to 365-degrees. Working in batches of 4 to 6 (or however many fit in your pot) fry until golden brown, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir occasionally with a spider or tongs so they fry evenly. Transfer the fried rangoon to a baking sheet set with a wire rack to cool. Repeat the frying process.
Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce!
Wonton Wrappers
Makes 22 to 24 wrappers
150g (1 1/4 cup) flour
Pinch of salt
75g (1/3 cup) hot water
Cornstarch for dusting
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the hot water while stirring with a flexible spatula. Once you have a shaggy dough, start kneading with your hands. Knead until smoothish, 5 minutes. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Uncover the dough and divide into 3 equal portions. On a work surface dusting with cornstarch, take one portion of dough and roll it out into a roughly 3”x6” rectangle, about ¼” thick. Lightly dust dough with cornstarch. Using a pasta roller roll out the dough until very thin working from the lowest setting to the thinnest with each pass (I go to setting 6). Dust with a little more cornstarch between passes if needed. Transfer the sheet of dough to a lightly dusted surface and allow it to slightly dry out (makes forming wontons easier) while you roll out the rest of your dough.
Cut out 3 1/2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter. Dust each wrapper with cornstarch if you’re planning on stacking them. Knead the scrap dough and run through the pasta machine for more wrappers.
Cover the wrappers in plastic wrap until ready to form dumplings.