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1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 250F.
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2
Trim the crust from the bread slices and cut each slice into 4 triangles.
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3
Place the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until dry but not browned.
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4
Set aside to cool completely.
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5
Increase the oven temperature to 350F.
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6
Refresh the shrimp by putting them in a colander and tossing them with a liberal amount of salt.
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7
Rinse immediately under lots of cold water and press gently to drain well.
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8
In a bowl, combine the shrimp, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cornstarch, sugar, pepper, garlic, egg white, and oil and mix well.
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9
Transfer to a food processor and process until a coarse paste forms.
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10
Return the paste to the bowl and stir in the scallion.
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11
Coat a nonstick baking sheet with the butter.
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12
To make each toast, use a dinner knife or an icing spatula to spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of the shrimp paste on the top of a toast triangle.
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13
The paste should be as thick as the toast and cover all the corners.
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14
(If the toast browned on one side, spread the paste on that side, freeing up the other side to brown during baking.)
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15
As the toast triangles are topped, place them on the prepared baking sheet.
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16
Discard any left over toasts or save for another use.
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17
In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk and water to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of the toasts with the egg wash. Bake the toasts for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the shrimp paste has turned pink-orange and the toast bottoms are golden brown.
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18
Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
