One More Bite Catering and Events

Category: Hors d’Oeuvres

The BEST Dumpling Dough Recipe

For the longest time, I’ve been looking for and testing recipes that mirror the dumplings I grew up eating from my local Chinese Restaurant, Beijing. The dumplings were soft and chewy, with the best texture of dumpling I’ve ever had from a takeout place, and when I moved from CT, I missed those dumplings so bad. These have finally satisfied that craving. You can fill them with whatever you want, but i like beef and cabbage with some garlic, ginger and hint of spice. They also work with pork, chicken, and vegetarian dumpling fillings!

Ingredients

500 g Special Bun Dough

260 g Cold Water

Salt

0.75 lb Desired Dumpling Filling

Directions

Using a kitchen scale, measure 500g of special bun flour into a large bowl. Add the salt

*I buy my special bun flour at Good Fortune, an Asian grocery store. If you can’t get it, you can use All Purpose Flour. It won’t be quite as smooth as the Special Bun Flour, but you’ll get close!

To your bowl, add the water. Take chopsticks, or a wooden spoon and mix until combined. Once combined, mix and knead with your hands until no loose flour is left in the bowl.

Cover the dough with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, pressing down and turning over and over until the dough is very smooth. The surface of the dough should not be dimpled.

Cover the dough again and let it rest for 40 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and poke a hole through the center. Twist your hands through the hole until the dough resembles a donut. Cut the dough into equal small sections, approximately 12-14g, but you can make them as big or as small as you want.

Using a dough roller, roll out the dumpling wrappers into thin, even circles. Add about 2 tsp of filling to the center of each dumpling wrapper. Crimp or seal the dumplings so that the filling doesn’t leak out.

My favorite way to cook these!

In a Non-Stick pan, add 2 tsp of vegetable oil. Over medium high heat, add your dumplings, bottom side down. Let the dumplings cook until the bottoms are golden brown, approximately 4 minutes. Get some water, enough to cover up 1/6 of the bottom of the dumplings and a lid. Add the water and place the lid on the pan. Turn the heat down to medium low. Let the dumplings steam until all the water has evaporated. Remove the lid and let cook a few more minutes until all the water is gone.

Serve with desired sauces. I like them with Kewpie Mayo, or a Soy Sauce based dipping sauce with sesame seeds and garlic.

February 17, 2023
Potato Wedges with Lentil Curry and Goat Cheese

Potato Wedges with Lentil Curry and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

3 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tsp Sea Salt

4 tbsp Garlic, Minced

2 tsp Black Pepper

2 tsp Oregano

1 cup Lentil Curry

½ cup Goat Cheese

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Peel and cut your potatoes into wedges and place into a large bowl.

Add olive oil and spices to the potatoes and coat.

Place wedges on the prepared baking sheet(s) in one layer.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking time. Add more time for more crispy wedges.

Add crispy wedges into a baking dish and add the lentil curry and goat cheese. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.

March 15, 2019
Brie, Pear and Almond Puffs

Brie, Pear and Almond Puffs

Ingredients

1 Box Puff Pastry

1 Brie Wheel

3 Bosc Pears, Sliced

½ cup Sliced Almonds

1 Egg, beaten with a little water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a shallow baking dish with 1/2 an inch of water.

Add pears to the water and roast for 10 minutes until soft. Remove from water and pat dry when finished.

On a separate baking sheet spread out the almonds and bake for 3 minutes, max. The almonds will burn if left longer.

Roll out the thawed puff pastry with a rolling pin. Cut into 1″x 1″ squares. In the center of each square, add a small cube of brie, some pear and a few almonds.

Fold in the sides as desired (i made flowers with mine) and brush with egg wash to hold them closed.

Placed on a prepared baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the puff pastry has risen and is golden brown.

Serve hot or warm. For an extra fancy touch, add some honey and more toasted almonds as a garnish.

February 4, 2019
Tomato and Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Tomato and Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Ingredients

Tomato Basil Soup

6 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 lb Roma Tomatoes, halved

½ lb Grape Tomatoes, halved

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 White Onion, Small, Minced

2 tsp Olive Oil

2 cups Vegetable Broth

1 tbsp Tomato Paste

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Fresh Basil, chiffonade or dried basil

Heavy Cream

Grilled Cheese Croutons

4 Slices of Bread

8 Slices Cheddar Cheese

2 tbsp Butter, softened

Directions

Tomato Basil Soup

Preheat your oven to 400F. On a baking tray, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes.

In a pot, heat olive oil and cook onions until translucent. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.

Add roasted tomatoes, garlic, dried basil and a pinch of salt to the soup. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Remove soup from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. (or use a regular blender).

Pour into bowls and add 2 tsp of heavy cream.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

In a pan, add a tsp of butter. Heat over medium high.

Butter one side of a slice of bread. Place it butter side down in the hot pan. Add 2 slices of cheddar cheese to the bread.

Let the bread cook until golden brown. On the other slice of bread, add butter. Place on top of the cheese, butter side up. Flip the sandwich over and reduce the heat to medium low.

Cover the pan for optimum cheese melting and remove grilled cheese from pan once cheese is melted and the other slice of bread is golden brown.

Cut sandwich into 6-8 small pieces and add to tomato soup.

December 18, 2018
Butternut Squash “Confit” with Wild Mushrooms and Winter Greens

A fall flavored hors d’oeuvre for your next party.

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Confit

1 Butternut Squash, diced

2 cups Olive Oil

1 Garlic clove, minced

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Thyme

Wild Mushrooms

6 oz Wild Mushrooms, or mushrooms of your choice

2 tsp Olive Oil

½ tsp Kosher Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

Winter Greens

1 Bunch Chard, Bok Choy, Kale, etc.

1 tsp Olive Oil

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Other

1 Baguette

½ tsp Garlic Powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

3 oz Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Butternut Squash Confit

Heat your oven to 300F. Peel and then dice the butternut squash. Toss the squash with 1 tsp of salt and let rest for 15 minutes in a colander.

In a baking dish or pan with high sides, place the squash down in one layer. Add the oil until it covers the squash and add the herbs and garlic to the oil.

Place the squash in the oven and bake until very tender. This will take 45-60 minutes depending on your oven.

Remove the squash from the oven and remove from oil with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and let cool.

Wild Mushrooms

In a small pan, heat oil. Add sliced mushrooms and seasonings.

Saute until browned and crispy around the edges. Remove from pan and place in a bowl to cool down.

Winter Greens

In a large pan heat the oil. Chop the winter greens to manageable pieces.

When oil is hot, add the winter greens and saute for 30 seconds. Season and turn the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes.

Remove winter greens from heat and place in a bowl to cool.

Putting it together

Slice the baguette into 1.5″-2″ slices. Lay in one layer on a baking sheet.

Combine olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the slices of baguette. Place the baguette in the 300F oven.

When the baguette is golden brown, remove from oven (approximately 10 minutes). Top with winter greens, then mushrooms, then butternut squash and then parmesan cheese if desired.

November 13, 2018
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Toasted Pine Nuts and Wilted Spinach

A fantastic hors d’oeuvre to serve at your next party. Or make a larger portion for an entree.

Ingredients

Gnocchi

3 Sweet Potatoes

1 Large Russet Potato

2 tsp Sea Salt

2 cups All Purpose Flour + More if Needed

Spinach

4 cups Spinach

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

Chive Oil

2 Bunches of Fresh Chives, + Extra if desired

1 cup Canola Oil

½ tbsp Sea Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

Other

2 oz Pine Nuts

½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Directions

Chive Oil

Fill a bowl with ice cubes and water. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the chives for 30 seconds. Remove immediately and add to the ice water.

Drain and wrap in paper towels. Squeeze out the excess water. Add the chives and the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend for 2 minutes before straining through a sieve or cheesecloth.

Transfer the oil to a glass container and seal it. The oil can be refrigerated for up to a month. Use at room temperature.

Gnocchi

Prick holes in the potatoes with a fork to let out steam. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour. Remove, cut in half and let cool. Scoop out the insides of the potatoes and add to a large bowl. Using a fork, mash the potatoes a bit.

Add the flour ¼ of a time, mixing the flour all the way in. Finish with the rest of the flour.
Combine until a smooth, slightly sticky dough is formed.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead. Divide into 8 sections.

7. Roll out one section at a time in a long log. Use a sharp knife or dough cutter to cut into 1 inch “pillows”.

You can par boil the gnocchi as is, or you can roll on a gnocchi board or a fork for classic gnocchi lines. Drop gnocchi into a pot of boiling water. When the gnocchi floats to the surface remove from the water with a slotted spoon and hold in a bowl.

Spinach and Pine Nuts

In a dry pan, toast the pine nuts for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and hold in a bowl.

In the same pan, heat 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the spinach and minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Assembly

In a pan, heat 1 tsp of the chive oil. Add gnocchi to the pan and saute until browned. Add to a plate or bowl and sprinkle with pine nuts and add wilted spinach. Drizzle with chive oil. If desired, add chopped chives to the gnocchi as well.

November 6, 2018