Fried Sweet Wontons &
Asian Fruit Basket

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Barb Jernigan for this one:

When the wise company president learned that his employees were tanking
up on no-trace vodka martinis during their lunch hours, he issued the
following memo:

To all employees; If you must drink during your lunch hour, please drink
whiskey. It is better for our customers to know you're drunk than to
think you're stupid.

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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Desserts, with the exception of fresh fruit, rarely form part of a
traditional Chinese meal, but here's a little something for those
of us who enjoy ending their meals on a sweet note.

Fried Sweet Wontons (Jar Won Ton)

1/2 lb (225 g) pitted dates, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped walnuts, cashews, almonds, or peanuts
The grated zest of 1 lemon
About 1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon juice
4 dozen won ton wrappers
Peanut or vegetable oil for deep frying
Powdered (confectioner's) sugar for garnish

Combine the dates, chopped nuts, lemon zest, and enough lemon
juice to make the mixture hold together. Form into small logs the
thickness of you little finger and about 1 inch long. Place the
"logs" diagonally on the wonton wrappers. Fold one corner over
the filling and roll into a tube. Twist the ends to enclose the filling
completely. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 350F (180C) and fry the
wontons in batches until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels
with a slotted spoon as they are cooked. Dust with powdered
sugar immediately before serving. Makes 4 dozen.

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Rather than give ingredients and measurements for this dish, I'll
just give you the procedure so you can make it however you like.

Asian Fruit Basket (Doong Fong Sik Gow Lam)

Cut off the top third of a small watermelon or other melon.
Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller, discarding the
seeds. Combine the melon balls with your choice of canned lychees,
longans, loquats, or mandarin orange segments and add some of the syrup
from the cans. Refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours. To serve,
place the fruit mixture inside the hollowed out melon and spoon the
syrup over the fruit.
Received on Fri Jan 26 08:03:27 2007