The Astronomer and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary a month late this year due to being displaced from our Altadena home following January’s wildfires. Even though our homecoming coincided with our anniversary, we didn’t honor the occasion until our house was properly remediated from top to bottom. We’re responsible like that.

After getting our affairs mostly in order, we relived our wedding banquet at Five Star Seafood Restaurant in San Gabriel, and I prepared something delicious inspired by antiquated anniversary gifts, just like I’ve done for every anniversary since our first in 2011. Thus far in our marriage, The Astronomer has been gifted edible interpretations of Paper, Cotton, Leather, Fruit, Wood, Sugar, Wool, Bronze, Pottery,  Tin, Steel, Silk, Lace, and Ivory.

Since it is customary to bestow crystal upon one’s beloved in recognition of the 15th anniversary, I prepared crystal skin shrimp dumplings using a recipe from Kristina Cho’s James Beard-award-winning cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread. I have consumed hundreds, if not thousands, of dumplings in my lifetime. This was my first time making the delicate parcels at home.

While the filling was easy to assemble — just a combination of shrimp, bamboo shoots, garlic, and seasonings — the wrappers were far fussier, requiring a trio of starches and a deft hand to manipulate the gluten-free dough. Following months away from home, reaching for my trusty steamer and whizzing the shrimp in my vintage Cuisinart felt like a gift. The end results paled in comparison to what’s on offer at my local dim sum spot, but still, I was grateful to tackle the recipe in the comfort of my kitchen for the special celebration.

Here’s to more dumplings and fewer climate disasters, my darling Vernon.