Ron Hsu’s Pimento Cheese Wontons

Preparation

1. Make the pimento cheese: Place the red pepper and jalapeños directly on your stovetop burner grates or on a wire rack placed on the burners. Turn the flame to medium and cook until the peppers are completely blackened all over, rotating from time to time, about 4 minutes. 

2. Alternatively, if you don’t have a gas stovetop, preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with foil. Cut red peppers and jalapeños lengthwise in half; remove and discard the stems and seeds. Arrange the peppers, cut side down, on the prepared broiling pan and place the pan in the broiler, 5 to 6 inches from the heat source. Broil until the skin of the peppers is charred and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to steam as they cool down, 15 to 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard (if using the stovetop method, remove the stems and seeds and discard as well). Finely chop the peppers and place in a food processor, and add the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and parsley. Pulse to combine until a nearly smooth consistency is reached. Refrigerate until fully chilled, about 1 hour.

4. Make the wontons: Place the pimento cheese in a small bowl, dust a baking sheet with cornstarch, open your wonton package, and fill a small bowl with water. Place 1 wonton wrapper in your hand, then place roughly 1 tablespoon of the pimento cheese in the center of the wrapper. Wet the tip of your index finger and moisten the outer edge of the wrapper. Fold each corner of the wrapper up so that each point meets to form a pyramid.

5. Pinch the edges of the dough from the point of the pyramid down to the base to seal the wonton while squeezing out any excess air inside. Set the completed wontons on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the wontons are wrapped.

6. When all the wontons are wrapped, set up a frying station. In a large, heavy pot set up with an oil thermometer, heat 2 inches of canola oil over high heat to 350°F. Have a spider and paper towel–lined plate ready. When the oil is hot, add the wontons to the oil and fry until golden brown and heated through, 4 to 6 minutes. Work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding and dropping the oil temperature.

7. Use the spider to transfer the wontons to the paper towel–lined plate. When all the wontons are cooked, transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with a dipping sauce; Hsu makes a red pepper marmalade or a sriracha ranch.