Kimchi and Cheddar Puff Pastry Tarts
Our friend Jihee makes the best kimchi I’ve ever tasted. She uses beautiful organic cabbage, which she leaves in large pieces instead of shredding it to mush. The texture adds so much to the joy of eating it.
I often make these tarts because we always have a jar of kimchi and some cheddar in the fridge. They only use a few ingredients, so it’s really worthwhile seeking out good-quality kimchi and cheddar. Or try them with sauerkraut instead of kimchi.
Ingredients 10
1 quantity puff pastry, see my puff pastry recipe
8 spring onion (scallions), trimmed and halved, plus 1 spring onion sliced to garnish
egg wash, see below
560 g kimchi
240 g cheddar, sliced
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Egg Wash
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
20 g full-cream milk, (whole milk)
Pinch salt
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Method 8
Egg Wash
Just whisk all the ingredients together (, , and ). It will keep, refrigerated, in a sealed container for a few days. The salt helps to denature the proteins in the eggs so it’s easier to brush the pastry.
Kimchi And Cheddar Puff Pastry Tarts
Put the on a lightly floured kitchen bench and roll it out into a rectangle measuring 40 × 50 cm (15¾ × 19¾ in) and 4 mm (⅛ in) thick. Cut out eight rectangles, 18 × 12 cm (7 × 4¾ in) – there should be enough pastry left over on each side to tidy up the edges.
Lay the pastry between two sheets of baking paper and put it in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Heat a chargrill or griddle pan over a medium heat and dry-fry the to give a bit of char on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
Remove the pastry rectangles from the fridge. Use a fork to prick the centre of each rectangle a few times, leaving a 2 cm (¾ in) border all around. Lightly brush the borders with , then divide the between the tarts, laying it in the centre.
Top with two pieces of grilled and a few slices of , overlapping the slices. Sprinkle the borders with .
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pastry borders start to rise around the filling, then reduce the oven to 180°C (360°F) and turn and swap the trays. Bake for a further 8–10 minutes until the pastry is golden and flaky.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Scatter some sliced over the top and serve warm.
