Crab now Henry-official; rangoon hits and scores

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth does not apply when introducing kids to new foods.

That's not to say I advocate lying, but I do advocate telling just part of the story.

I learned that when my kids liked a certain food, I made multiple associations to that food. Henry likes chicken nuggets, so when we were out to dinner at a German restaurant and I put some wienerschnitzel on his plate, I said it was “like” a chicken nugget. Likewise I dubbed an uncoated piece of chicken a “naked nugget.” That's not to say he always liked what was in front of him, but at least the positive association prompted him to try it.

So when we were out at a Chinese restaurant and I ordered one of my favorite appetizers, crab rangoon, I played up the cream cheese filling. It wasn't until after he had finished two, or maybe even three, that I said congratulations, you can now add crab rangoon to the list of foods you like. He wrinkled his nose at the mention of crab, but then gave in to the notion that he might actually like something from the sea.

According to culinary legend, crab rangoon was the brainchild of Victor Bergeron, the creator of Trader Vic's, in 1950s San Francisco. Given that cream cheese is not a typical ingredient in South Asian cuisines, his claim that these deep-fried wontons came from an old Burmese recipe is unlikely, yet it quickly gained popularity on Chinese and Thai menus throughout the United States.

I was afraid that making these at home would end up changing Henry's mind about crab rangoon. Once we opened the package of crab, a fishy smell wafted through the kitchen. But Henry persevered and set about chopping the lumpy pieces and combining them into softened cream cheese. We decided on a 50-50 blend of cream cheese to crab. If you really like crab, go 75-25.

Henry says: I had as much fun making these as I had making the cookie dough balls. I liked folding the wontons; it reminded me of doing origami. I liked them fried extra crispy.

If you want to enjoy them to the fullest, I advise not reheating leftovers (if there are any) in the microwave because they get moist and soft. Recrisp them in the oven.

• Daily Herald Food Editor Deborah Pankey is the mother of two boys. Her youngest, Henry, is a sixth-grader and a picky eater who's finally beginning to explore new foods.