Active Time

　　30 min

　　Total Time

　　50 min

　　Camembert aux Noix Amuse-Bouches

　　Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 50 min

　　

Ingredients

Makes 40 hors d'oeuvres or 8 servings

　　

For pastry

1/4 cup walnuts (1 ounce), minced

　　2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

　　1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

　　1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed

　　1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

　　

For cheese filling

6 ounce Camembert (not runny), rind discarded

　　1/3 cup walnuts (1 1/4 ounce), finely chopped, toasted , and cooled

　　

Special Equipment

a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter; parchment paper

　　

Make pastry:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Stir together walnuts, butter, and salt.

　　

Step 3

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14- by 12-inch rectangle. Cut out 40 rounds with lightly floured cookie cutter and discard trimmings.

　　

Step 4

Brush tops of rounds with egg wash, then sprinkle each with about 1/4 teaspoon walnut mixture and transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake rounds in middle of oven until golden and puffed, 10 to 15 minutes, then slide pastries on parchment onto a rack to cool. (Leave oven on.)

　　

Step 5

While pastries are still warm, gently pull each one apart to make a top and a bottom. Lightly press down any puffed inner layers on tops and bottoms if necessary.

　　

Make filling while pastry bakes:

Step 6

Mash together cheese and toasted walnuts with a fork.

　　

Fill pastries:

Step 7

Sandwich a 1/2-teaspoon mound of cheese filling inside each pastry (between top and bottom), then bake in middle of oven on parchment-lined baking sheet (it's not necessary to use a clean sheet of parchment) until cheese begins to melt, 2 to 3 minutes. Season tops of pastries with pepper and serve immediately.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　• Puff pastry can be baked and rounds separated into tops and bottoms 1 day ahead, then cooled completely and kept at room temperature in an airtight container.

　　• Pastries can be filled (but not baked) 1 hour ahead and kept, loosely covered, at room temperature.