During lockdown I took part in The Man Behind the Curtain cookalongs which I absolutely loved.  While they were taking place, they became the highlight of my week and I learnt so much.  This dish is inspired by one of the dishes we cooked and that I absolutely loved.  I have since cooked my take on what we learnt for friends and they also loved it and are all asking for the recipe. 

Ingredients
500ml double cream split into 420ml and 80ml 
8 cardamom pods 
2 shallots, finely chopped 
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1 tsp chilli powder 
4 tbsp tomato purée 
100ml brandy and vermouth 
1 tin of tomatoes chopped or pulped 
500ml shellfish stock 
200g crab 
2 tbsp sugar 
Salt 
White pepper 
180g cheddar, grated  
1 packet of square dumpling wrappers (usually you get 36 or 40 in a packet) 

Method
Firstly take a small milk pan, put your cardamom on your chopping board, put your milk pan on top of them and press your pan down until you hear the pods break open.  Put the cardamom into the pan now and add 420ml of cream on a very low heat. 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add the chilli flakes, tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in brandy and vermouth and cook until the liquid is reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Add the tinned tomatoes, stock and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes until thicker. Add the 80ml of cream and the crab and season with salt and white pepper. 

Boil your kettle and heat your oven to 180c. 

Remove the cardamom pods and any escaped seeds and discard.  Add the grated cheese to your milk and stir. 

Take a lasagne dish and spread a very thin layer of the cheese sauce in the bottom.  You want to build your lasagne with the wonton sheets now.  My dish takes 5 wonton sheets (1 cut in half!) per layer so work this out before you start and roughly portion your sauce so you know how much to use.  I get a knife or spoon and just ‘draw’ lines on the top to guide me.  Your layers should be cheese, wonton, crab, wonton, crab, wonton etc ending with a wonton layer covered in the rest of your cheese sauce. 

Take a bowl and put the hot water into it.  You now want to take a dumpling wrapper, put it into the hot water, leave it 10 seconds and take it out and put it on your cheese sauce, repeating this process to build up the layer until it is covered with the wrappers.  Then add your crab sauce and repeat.  I do this as it removes the cornflour that is on it and ensures they cook nicely.  

Put into the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.  Serve with a crisp green salad.  

- Recipe recreated from a dish from the Man Behind the Curtain