Goat Cheese Smoked Paprika Wonton, Pear Horseradish Sauce

I had previously been an advocate for using purchased wonton skins as a last minute replacement for pasta dishes like ravioli or tortelloni.

But a few weeks ago, I had my last limp wonton skin pasta dish.   No mas.  In my opinion, the wonton skins are too delicate to treat like pasta and a double layer of wonton skins overwhelms the filling.   I guess there is no cheating dough from scratch.

Wonton skins are still useful, however.   Like, for making...urrr...wontons (it's hard being this smart, people.  Don't be intimidated - you'll get there one day).

I look for a simple burst of focused flavor in a wonton.  I chose to go the creamy, smoky route on this day.  I made a goat cheese, smoked paprika puree by simple adding the ingredients to a food processor, along with a touch of olive oil, a bit of cream and a squeeze of lemon juice.  After forming the wontons, it's really just about frying them for a minute or two until golden brown.

The fun for me came while making a dipping sauce condiment.  On this occasion, I had the wontons already made and in the freezer.   I went to the corner store, looking for a few ingredients for the dipping sauce.   I had $5 on me and wasn't in the mood to visit the ATM, so I  limited myself to only a few inexpensive ingredients.  I saw a perfectly ripe pear and thought I'd make a creamy puree, with the pear providing a base flavor of sweetness.   I figured the texture of the pear would also give the condiment some body.

I thought the spiciness of horseradish would be a natural counterpoint for the pear.   I went home and pureed about half the pear, a heaping tablespoon of horseradish, and a touch of dijon together with a streaming drizzle of olive oil until  the condiment thickened.   The dipping sauce has a bit more body than an aioli or mayo, but it still had a thick enough texture to cling to the wontons when dipped. 

I think the pear horseradish combo is a winner, one I'll certainly explore again sometime down the road.   In fact, this would be a killer spread on a sandwich.   Ah....the beauty of leftovers.