• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons prepared curry paste
• 1 tablespoon prepared salsa
• Lettuce leaves
• 30 round won-ton wrappers
• Mango Relish (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

• In a large bowl, combine the pork, onion, ginger, bell pepper and carrot. In a small bowl, dilute the curry paste with 1 tablespoon water and combine with the salsa. Pour the curry mixture into the pork mixture and blend thoroughly.
• Line racks of a bamboo steamer with the lettuce leaves to prevent sticking. To form the dumplings, place 1 teaspoon of the filling on each won-ton wrapper. Moisten the edges with water; fold the won-ton wrapper over the filling to form a half moon. Moisten the ends and turn up to close. Set the dumplings on the lettuce leaves, not allowing the dumplings to touch.
• When the racks are full, set the steamer over boiling water in a wok and steam until the dumplings are cooked through and firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the dumplings rest a few minutes before serving with Mango Relish.
• Note: Dumplings can be made 2 weeks ahead, covered tightly and frozen. Do not thaw before steaming.

Mango Relish

INGREDIENTS

• 3 mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• One-fourth cup white vinegar
• One-fourth cup olive oil
• One-half tablespoon salt
• One-half tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

• In a large bowl, combine the mangoes, onion, Scotch bonnet, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. The longer you wait to serve, the better this relish tastes.

From the French by Pierre Hermes

. 3 g of fleur de sel
. 150 g of butter 
. 120 g of light brown sugar
. 50 g of caster sugar 
. 150 g of 70 % dark chocolate
. 175 g of flour
. 5 g of natural liquid vanilla extract
. 30 g cocoa powder
. 5 g of baking soda

Cut the chocolate into small pieces.

Sift and mix flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.

Soften the butter, mix with the sugars, salt and liquid vanilla then mix flour / cocoa / baking and chopped chocolate.

Mix as little as possible, like a sand batter.

Shape in rolls around 4 cm in diameter. Wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Cut into slices of a good inch wide. Put on a plate covered with silicone paper. Cook 11/12 minutes at 340 f in a preheated oven.

Notes, tips and tricks:

Cooking time is very important, to be very good, the shortbread must be under-cooked. The use of the salt flower allows to qualify the effect of the salt feeling, if it is to replace it with fine salt, the weight of salt should be reduced to 2 g.

Conservation:

You can make the dough several days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer, and bake as you need. A few days in an sealed box, safe from humidity.

Makes about 8 cups of corn

• 8 cups air popped corn
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup white corn syrup (alternately you can use honey if you don’t want corn syrup in your diet)
• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 1 cup salted cashews (toasted preferably but either will work)
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F
2. Spread popcorn out evenly in a large greased roasting pan; reserve.
3. Combine brown sugar, butter, syrup and soy sauce in  a small, heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook for 2 minutes further without stirring.
4. Remove pan from the heat and quickly whisk in the baking soda. When the mixture quits bubbling, stir in the ginger. Drizzle caramel over the popcorn, then add cashews and stir until all ingredients are coated evenly. Spread evenly in the pan.
5. Dry in the oven for 15 minutes, stir well and return to the oven for 5 minutes more. Stir again and sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds.
6. Lay a piece of parchment paper onto the counter top and pour the popcorn mixture onto the paper to cool. After about 5 minutes, you’ll be able to break the mixture into smaller pieces.
7. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.