Coco-nut Crispies

Cooking for one is always a little complicated in that I'm always either working to reduce recipes to manageable portions or always stuck with lots of leftovers on my hands (living alone with entire cakes or pans of brownies is not a temptation I wish on anyone). For this reason, I was very excited when I came across Vanilla Garlic's baked banana spice wontons because I had what seemed like a metric ton of leftover wonton wrappers in my freezer. With the addition of the nearly full can of coconut milk leftover from this week's Moroccan shrimp with couscous dinner, I knew I had the makings of a great snack on my hands and didn't have to toss out any wasted food. 'Cause being wasteful is soooo passé these days :)

Wonton wrappers are a great ingredient because they are so versatile. Similar to large ravioli halves, these thin sheets of pasta crisp up amazingly when fried and also when baked (lower fat!). In addition to wrapping egg rolls, these sheets can be used for just about any other kind of filling--crab rangoon, strawberry cream cheese, Asian-inspired plum chutney--anything you can think of. I went with a spiced coconut pudding filling which is also great eaten warm and plain and, if you've ever been to Hawaii, will remind you of haupia but without the gelatin. I don't usually like coconut pudding because I think the flavoring tastes artificial, but using real coconut milk provides a light, natural tasting coconut flavor. I pretty much just added what I had on hand to the pudding, so recipe amounts are approximate and you should feel free to adjust to your tastes.

Spiced Coconut-Stuffed Wontons
24-30 wonton wrappers

For the pudding*
8 teaspoons flour
8 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt
2 egg yolks (whites reserved)
1 14-oz can coconut milk (regular or lite)

My additions (optional)
Scant 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dashes of ground ginger to taste

In a medium saucepan combine flour, sugar and salt. Add egg yolks and whisk together. Add half the can of coconut milk and place over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the remaining coconut milk in a small saucepan. Once warm, add the milk to the flour mixture, whisking to combine. Simmer the mixture 7-10 minutes or until thick. Add all desired mix-ins and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, place a heaping teaspoonful of pudding slightly left of center, leaving a half-inch border between the filling and the edge of the wonton wrapper. Using the reserved egg whites, brush a light coating around the edge of the wrapper and fold the right side of the wrapper over the filling to meet the left, and press to seal the edges. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil coated lightly with cooking spray. Brush the top of the wonton with egg white and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Repeat with remaining wontonts, working as quickly as possible, as they dry out quickly. Bake for 10 minutes, turn wontons and bake an additional 1-2 minutes if needed.

*If you'd like to make the pudding just on its own, the recipe can easily be increased for up to 10-12 servings, simply double or triple the amounts (1/4 flour and sugar and 4 egg yolks and 1.5 cans of coconut milk for 6-8 servings, or 1/2 cup each of flour and sugar and 6 egg yolks and 3 cans of coconut milk for 10-12)