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French Onion Soup Dumplings

Source of Recipe

From "Back Around the Table" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"Inspired by some French onion soup dumplings I devoured at a trendy restaurant on New York City's Lower East Side, I couldn't wait to get home and make my own version. These have all the classic hallmarks of this warming soup - caramelized onions, melted cheese, and all the right seasonings - tucked into bite-size, juicy pouches made with wonton wrappers. The dumplings are fried, then browned in the oven with a sprinkle of Gruyère for that traditional touch."

List of Ingredients

◦  3 large egg yolks
◦  3 large eggs
◦  2 cups panko bread crumbs
◦  2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
◦  ½ red onion, thinly sliced
◦  ½ white onion, thinly sliced
◦  1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
◦  1 1.4-ounce envelope French onion soup mix
◦  ¼ tsp kosher salt
◦  ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
◦  Canola oil, for frying
◦  1 package (50) wonton wrappers
◦  2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Gruyère
◦  ½ bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped


Recipe

Place the egg yolks in a shallow bowl and beat lightly. Place the whole eggs in another bowl and beat lightly. Put the bread crumbs in another bowl.

Pour the olive oil into a skillet over low heat. Add the red and white onions to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the cream cheese, onion soup mix, â…› teaspoon of the salt, and â…› teaspoon of the pepper to the skillet, stirring until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Once the mixture has cooled, clip a deep-frying thermometer to the side of a heavy deep pot. Add 2 inches canola oil to the pot and slowly heat the oil to 350° F.

While the oil is heating, lay several wonton wrappers out on a flat surface. Using a pastry brush, coat one side of a wonton wrapper with some egg yolk. Place 1 to 1½ teaspoons cheese mixture in the middle of the wonton. Bring all four corners of the wonton up. Gently press the edges together to seal the pouch. Repeat with the remaining wontons, working in batches until all the cheese mixture is used. (Uncooked dumplings can be frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to plastic bags for 1 month.)

Beat the whole eggs again until frothy. Dip each dumpling into the beaten eggs and then dip into the bread crumbs, making sure to coat evenly. Using a slotted spoon, lower 5 dumplings into the hot oil and cook for 1 minute, or until golden brown. Remove the dumplings from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain. Season each batch with the remaining salt and pepper. Transfer them to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

While the dumplings are cooking, preheat the broiler.
Top each dumpling with a pinch of Gruyère. Place the dumplings under the broiler until the cheese starts to melt, about 1 minute. Remove the dumplings from the oven and garnish each with a pinch of chopped chives before serving.


Makes 50