If you want to whip up something special to serve with wine or cocktails, consider this French-Asian fusion treat: wontons filled with Brie or goat cheese. Crisp, crunchy wrappers filled with hot, creamy cheese, they can also be served as an appetizer.

The recipe is from cheese importer Ile de France, which has plenty of cheese recipes on its website.
RECIPE: CHEESE-FILLED WONTONS

Ingredients

Brie or goat cheese wontons. Photo courtesy Ile de France.

1. PLACE squares of cheese in the middle of each wonton wrapper. Close the square wrapper diagonally, then seal the edges with a bit of moisture, pressing hard so it won’t come apart.

2. FRY: Heat about two inches of oil in a medium sized pot. Use some sesame oil to give it an authentic, Asian flare that won’t interfere with the cheese’s natural flavors. Sesame oil is strong, so we used 1/3 sesame oil, 2/3 vegetable oil.

3. PLACE the wontons in the heated oil for about 30 seconds or until they reach the desired crispiness.

4. BAKE by arranging the wontons on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400°F until they become crisp and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

5. SERVE with your favorite dipping sauce. Ile de France uses warmed sour cream flavored with a little Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
TIPS TO ADD MORE FLAVORS

You can add extra ingredients, but be sure to use less cheese so the wonton wrappers don’t burst.

Sold in sets of 2, short Mason-type jars are layered with homemade graham crackers, Callebaut Belgian bittersweet chocolate chips and the company’s vanilla bean marshmallows. It’s a great gift for special occasions. A set of 2 jars is $13; two sets are $25.00 at OhMyMarshmallows.com. The jars are reusable.

The company also makes fun flavors of marshmallow: Bubble Gum, Chai Tea, Cinnamon Hots, Cotton Candy, Peppermint Swirl and Valrhona Chocolate.

When ready to eat, the jar of s’mores is baked in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes (remove lid and ring and place on baking sheet); then placed under the broiler for 2 minutes to toast the marshmallow.

We were inspired by this preparation to create our own “S’mores In A Cup.” Look for the best ingredients you can find. We used artisan marshmallows, Guittard chocolate chips and our favorite graham crackers from Trader Joe’s.
 
NATIONAL S’MORES DAY IS AUGUST 10TH.

S’MORES IN A CUP (MASON JAR)mo RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SELECT vessels in which to layer the s’mores: custard cups, glasses, ramekins, teacups or other containers. They need to be microwavable or ovenproof. And since this dessert is very rich, they should be as small as possible: Ideally, just one layer of the ingredients in Step 2 (the wide-mouth Kerr brand Mason jar used by Oh My Goodness Marshmallows is approximately 2-1/2″ high by 3-1/2″). You can also use a small baking dish or casserole if you want to make a family-size recipe. While it’s nice to be able to see the layers through glass, a glass receptacle isn’t essential.

2. LAYER the ingredients: graham crackers, chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows. This part can be done in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days.

3. MICROWAVE or BAKE when ready to serve. We reused the jars from Oh My Goodness Marshmallows and microwaved them for 30 seconds, enough to melt the marshmallow and soften the chocolate chips; microwave strengths vary. You can then brown the marshmallow under a broiler or use a culinary torch; but we served ours as is. You can also put the optional marshmallows on a baking sheet and set it under the broiler for 15 seconds or until they brown; then spoon atop each cup.

4. SERVE immediately. We enjoyed a large glass of milk with our S’mores In A Cup.
VARIATIONS

Has America gone latte crazy? If not, why would Burger King add a 12-ounce “coffeehouse latte” to its menu?

Enough with the questions:

Starting today, you can kick-start your morning or take your coffee break at Burger King. The menu includes caramel, mocha, plain and vanilla lattes in regular and nonfat varieties. The lattes are brewed with 100% Latin American arabica espresso from Seattle’s Best Coffee.

The suggested retail price starts at $2.29, but for a limited time, you can try them for just $1.00.
It’s time to round up the gang and head to BK for your coffee break!

Coffeehouse lattes are now on the menu at Burger King. Photo courtesy Burger King.

WHAT’S A LATTE?

Caffe latte, called latte (LAH-tay) for short, is a shot of espresso with steamed milk in a 3:1 ratio of milk to espresso. In France and Italy, it is a breakfast drink. In America it also serves as the base for flavored lattes, where a sweet syrup is added in any variety of flavors—caramel, hazelnut, mocha, vanilla and a long list of specialty flavors.

See all the different types of espresso drinks in our Espresso Glossary.
COFFEE 101: COFFEE CHERRIES

The fruits of the coffee tree are called cherries, and you can see why in the photo: They look just like Queen Anne cherries. Other varieties can be solid red or burgundy.

Inside the fruit are two seeds: the coffee beans. The seeds are a pale green color, and turn brown when they are roasted.

There’s a sweet, sticky pulp surrounding the seeds that tastes like a delicate blend of watermelon and hibiscus. But this is not an eating fruit: Most of the cherry interior is taken up by the seeds.

Thank goodness: Otherwise, we’d need to buy even more tiny beans to make a cup of coffee.