Ingredients

serves 8, cooking time 40 minutes

• 1 sourdough bread loaf
• 10 oz. block of Monteray Jack cheese, sliced thinly
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup green onions, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Procedures

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through to the bottom. This will take more time the crispier the crust, so try to find a loaf that looks fairly soft on the top. 
3. Insert cheese slices between the cuts, both length- and width-wise.
4. Combine melted butter, green onions and poppy seeds.
5. Move the bread to a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle the butter mixture over the bread. Make sure to pull the cuts open as you pour the mixture over the bread so it seeps toward sthe bottom, and spread out a few extra green onions over the top.
6. Wrap the bread loosely with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Unwrap the bread and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese has melted

Ingredients

Yield 12 cups, cooking time 30 minutes

• Cooking spray
• 12 (4-½-inch square) wonton wrappers
• 6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and rolled
• 6 ounces salami, thinly sliced and rolled
• 6 ounces cubed gorgonzola
• 1 cup cornichons
• Fruit preserves, for serving (optional)
• Whole grain mustard, for serving (optional)

Procedures

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray standard muffin pan with cooking spray. Press wonton wrappers into muffin cups, taking care to press against bottom and sides of cups. Lightly spray wrappers with additional cooking spray.
2. Bake 8 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove wonton cups from muffin pan and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before filling.
3. Fill cups with prosciutto, salami, cheese and cornichons. Serve with preserves and mustard, if desired.

Ingredients

makes about 12 buns; active cooking time 1 hour, total cooking time 1 hour and 45 minutes

Dough:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 6 tablespoons corn starch
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more as needed

Filling:

• 1/2 small cabbage
• 1 spring onion or green onion, diced fine
• 2 tablespoons fresh peeled ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (see note)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Procedures

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the warm milk, canola oil, and the activated yeast. Work the dough to produce a shaggy mass. Turn it out onto a floured board or countertop and knead until the dough becomes smooth, soft, and pliable, about 5 to 10 minutes. Put it into a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap, place in a warm area (on top of a radiator is a good idea!) and allow the dough to rise for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until it doubles in volume.
2. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Steam the cabbage for 1 minute then drain the water (squeeze the water out as best you can).
3. Chop the cabbage finely/slice with a mandolin. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and mix thoroughly. Set the filling aside.
4. To form the buns, remove the dough from the bowl and roll it into a long rope. Cut the rope into 12 equal portions. Roll each piece and set them aside in a bowl. Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball into 4-inch circles, leaving the center slightly thicker then its edges. Put a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center o
5. f each disk and pinch the tops closed to seal.
6. To Cook: Place the filled buns into warm bamboo steamer or rice cooker (as we did) and let steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. The buns will almost double in size. Serve with soy sauce and/or hot chili sauce such as sambal.