Jim Manning and I attended Ole Miss at the same time, but never met. It wasn’t until later that we crossed paths working for Houston’s Acute Catering and discovered that I’d briefly dated one of his roommates. Jim now heads his own business, Jim Manning Catered Affairs, and is one of Houston’s top caterers. This recipe is a lot of work, but it’s elegant and serves a huge crowd, and most of the labor can be done in advance. It’s a great option if you’re hosting a large-scale event. Otherwise, the recipe can be cut in half or even in quarters.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 150 bite-size portions

　　

Chicken

2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemongrass

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

　　1 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

　　1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about half a medium lemon)

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

　　1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 1/2 cups cornstarch

　　1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying

　　

Lemon-Ginger Honey

2 1/2 cups simple syrup (see Tips)

　　1/4 cup fresh ginger juice

　　1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)

　　1 1/2 cups honey

　　

Black Currant Mayonnaise

3 cups mayonnaise

　　1/2 cup ginger preserves

　　1/2 cup black currant jelly or preserves

　　

Wontons

1 (75-count) package (3 1/2-inch) square wonton wrappers, halved diagonally with kitchen scissors

　　Vegetable oil, for frying

　　Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

　　

Step 1

TO MAKE THE CHICKEN: In a large bowl combine the lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chicken, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and cornstarch. Remove the chicken from the marinade, drain, and toss it, 1/2 cup at a time, in the flour mixture to coat. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, warm 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil. Add the chicken, 1/2 cup at a time, and fry until the pieces are golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes; add more oil as needed. Drain the chicken on paper towels.

　　

Step 2

TO MAKE THE LEMON-GINGER HONEY: In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the simple syrup, ginger juice, and lemon juice and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the honey and cool.

　　

Step 3

TO MAKE THE BLACK CURRANT MAYONNAISE: In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ginger preserves, and black currant jelly.

　　

Step 4

TO FRY THE WONTONS: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 3 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 365°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Fry the wontons in batches until golden and drain on paper towels.

　　

Step 5

TO ASSEMBLE THE CANAPÉS: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the chicken and the lemon-ginger honey and heat until warm. Arrange the fried wontons on a tray. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of the mayonnaise near one of the triangle’s tips. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the middle of the wonton and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve immediately.

　　

do it early

Step 6

The chicken can be fried and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. The mayonnaise and ginger syrup can also be made in advance and refrigerated. Fry the wontons early the day you plan to serve them. The canapés should be assembled shortly before serving.

　　

tip

Step 7

Make your own fresh ginger juice by grating fresh peeled ginger (you’ll need about three 4-inch pieces to get the needed 1 cup grated), placing it in a square of cheesecloth, and squeezing it to extract the juice. Discard the leftover ginger solids. Or you can buy it at the grocery store.

　　

Step 8

To make simple syrup, boil equal parts water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stored in a tightly sealed glass jar, simple syrup keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.