Dodgers First Pitch and my Jalapeno-Crab Wonton Recipe!!

My fellow contestant Das and I had the most incredible and memorable opportunity of a lifetime on Wednesday, June 2, 2010.  The L.A. Dodgers asked us to throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch for their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Prior to throwing out the ball, we were there to meet winners from their promo to "Meet the Finalists from "Next Food Network Star"!  We each had one of our recipes made by Levy Restaurants (Thanks to Chef Joseph and Sous Chef Shannon) and it was served in the Dugout Martini Lounge to the winners and other Dugout Club members.  We also had photos taken with all the winners...they were all so nice and it was such a surreal experience to sign the recipe cards and take pictures with everyone!  Unreal...but so cool.

My recipe was a Jalapeno-Crab Wonton with a spicy chili dipping sauce...

So happy they were a huge hit!  Everyone was eating them up!!  HOT!  SPICY!  with a hint of sweetness!  Oh!  and CRUNCHY!

Ok...watch the video then I will make a few notations and corrections. 

NOTES: 
Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you, my name was spelled wrong.  When I opened the bag and saw FAOG, I started laughing my ass off too.  I thought it was hilarious!  Honest mistake, they might have been reaching for the N and accidentally grabbed the O.  I love a good laugh, and this made the whole day more fun and memorable.  They are graciously going to give me another jersey with my name spelled correctly! 

Also, I am a California Cuisine specialist!  I am not sure where Asian Cuisine specialist came from!  I know...it's easy to assume since I am Asian and I did make wontons.  hahaha...but that's ok. 

It was such a fabulous day and I want to thank Erica at the Dodgers for taking such great care of us and all my friends and family who came out to watch me throw out the pitch!!  It was one of the greatest days!

If you'd like to try my Jalapeno-Crab Wontons here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 cup Minced Shallots
1 cup Finely Chopped, Jalapenos
2 cup Finely chopped, Green Onions
2 tsp Minced garlic (approximately 6 cloves)
½ tsp Young ginger – using a microplane or a ginger grater to make it like a pulp)
1 - 8 oz can Water Chestnuts, minced
1-1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Ground White Pepper
1 lb Cream Cheese (Philadelphia brand) – softened
1-1/2 cup Lump Crab Meat
Juice of ½ a lemon
1-3/4 tsp Salt – but taste before seasoning
2 packages Wonton Wrappers
Bottle of sweet chili dipping sauce (any brand)

Instructions

Making the filling:
Heat oil. Sauté shallots, jalapenos and green onions. Stir a few minutes, add garlic and ginger. Keep stirring. Add water chestnuts. Salt and white pepper to taste. Sauté till softened and cooked, about 8-10 minutes. Allow this to cool thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and crab meat. Add the cooled, sautéed vegetable mixture and thoroughly combine. Add lemon juice and salt. Taste for seasoning.

Making the wontons:
Use a ½ tsp, but a generous rounded ½ tsp and put in center of the square wonton wrapper. Dab with water along all four sides, make a triangle, making sure it’s sealed properly.
It’s better to make this ahead of time and freeze it to keep the seal tighter so when you deep fry them, the filling won’t come out.
Deep fry till golden brown. Makes approximately 75 wontons.

Recipe Notes:
Serve hot right away after deep frying with the sweet chili dipping sauce.

I hope you enjoy them!! 

Happy eating!