in the poky

Please don’t throw away the key. Sometimes it’s best to beg, borrow or steal. When you can procure a superior component rather than make it from scratch- go for it. The trick is to tweak it to make it your own. Last weekend my dear friend Pokey asked me to bring an hors d'oeuvre to her Saturday soiree. I couldn’t resist the alliteration and decided to bring Ahi Poke. I was faced with two challenges. The first was how to put this typical first course into a manageable canapé. The second was to make top-quality seasoned sashimi.

Those white porcelain appetizer spoons seem to be all the rage. But I have to say they are incredibly awkward. They are often too big for a single bite and then what do you do with it after you’re done. I decided to forgo the china and create an edible spoon out of a wonton wrapper. Here are my ahi poke spoons.

Cut square wonton wrappers on the diagonal to create two triangles. Brush each side with melted butter.

Carefully fold the wonton triangles into mini muffin tins. Each wrapper should look a bit like a bird with a little beak, a belly and two wings in the back.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until just golden. Check often because they can burn quickly.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

For the ahi I paid a visit to my fishmonger at Dorothy Lane Market. The tuna looked incredible but then out of the corner of my eye I spied a beautiful bowl of Hawaiian Poke. All diced, seasoned and tossed. Ok why would I go on an ingredient scavenger hunt when there was a slim chance that what I could create would outshine what was already in the case? Happily I asked for a half pound.

The dice was a bit large so at home I chopped the poke to small uniform cubes.

Do Ahead- The wonton spoons can be made earlier in the day. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Make sure you purchase freshly prepared poke the day of, it can be re-chopped and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several hours.

Right before serving spoon a teaspoon of poke into each wonton spoon.

That night we all toasted our good fortune!