Oat Cakes with Truffled Brie and Walnut Paste

, from Issue #21. September, 2015
Photography by Vanessa Wu.
Oat Cakes with Truffled Brie and Walnut Paste

The walnut paste is quick to make and can be served with grilled meats and vegetables, antipasti platters, or used as a spread on bread or toast.

INGREDIENTS

100 grams flour
100 grams rolled oats
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
75 grams cold butter, cubed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons milk

Walnut Paste
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
juice of a small lemon
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon salt

To assemble
250 grams truffled Brie or good French Brie
small bunch of chives to garnish

METHOD

Oatcakes: Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Mix the flour, rolled oats, salt and baking soda in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. Add the lemon juice and milk and mix until the dough just comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Roll out on a lightly floured bench to 3 mm thick. Cut out biscuits with a 5 cm pastry cutter and transfer to a baking sheet-lined tray. The leftover dough can be re-rolled.

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute, before transferring to a cooling rack. Store for up to a week in an airtight container.

Walnut paste: Pulse all the ingredients in the food processor to a smooth paste. Spoon into an airtight jar and pour in enough oil (about 2 teaspoons) to seal the surface. Refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Assembly: Place a piece of truffled Brie (about 10 grams) on each oatcake and top with half a teaspoon of walnut paste. Garnish each with a chive.
Makes 25 oatcakes, each 5 cm wide