The Academy Awards and Beyond

Staying up for the Academy Awards is something I always want to do but never seem to do. It's way past my bedtime, as I am an early riser. I would sometimes take a nap(in an effort to stay awake through the whole show), feeling like a child,but that never helps either. My internal clock was what I was destined to follow. That being said, I wouldn't pass up the chance to entertain and have a dinner party in honor of the event. Formal, casual, or-  a nibbles meal, while watching the parade of stars, fashion and acceptances(and last year, I seemed to manage to stay up to do all of this).



I've served different menus over the years for similar events, always changing. From a more elegant dinner of black caviar risotto and champagne to mini mac and cheese with barbecued pork sandwiches and bags of popcorn and candies. To the one below.

Above, you can see a meal I made that included the delicious wontons!

Roasted Deviled Cornish Hen Half
Grilled Asparagus
Butternut Squash and Sage Wontons


Recipe:

Butternut-Squash and Sage Wontons

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 sage leaves- 1 whole, 1 minced

2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¾ pound cooked butternut squash, mashed

1 medium shallot, minced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

24 wonton wrappers

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmiagiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the garlic cloves and the whole sage leaf on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Wrap up the garlic in the foil and roast for about 40 minutes, until the cloves are very soft.  Unwrap and let cool. Peel the garlic.

Spread the walnuts on a pie plate and toast for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool.

In a bowl, combine the squash with the roasted garlic and sage leaf.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallot and the minced sage and cook over moderate heat for about 3 minutes and shallots are soft. Mix the shallot and sage into the mashed squash and season with salt and pepper.

Mound a rounded teaspoon of squash filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrapper with water and fold each into a triangle, pressing the edges to seal. Bring the pointed edges together and press to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap while making the rest of the wontons.

Oil a steamer basket and set it over simmering water. Arrange as many wontons in the basket as will fit, cover and steam for 5 minutes. Transfer the steamed wontons to a platter and repeat with the remaining wontons.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the wontons and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly browned and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the wontons to a platter, and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and cheese.

Here we are at the end of the winter season. Past Halloween, Thanksgiving, Harvest dinners, Christmas and Channakuh, New Year's and Valentines day. I haven't made a dent in posting all of my journal excerpts and menus. There are so many more dinner parties from my many journals of winter to share. But now it's time to project Spring and that's what I'll be doing, just like the rest of you. It tempts us, it woes us, it teases us, it inspires us, it elevates us.

As Always, xxoo Sheila