Miniature Camembert Walnut Pastries

Ingredients

• 6 ounce camembert cheese cut cubes plus extra to put on top (not runny)
• 1 large water with 1 tablespoon water lightly beaten
• 1 sheet puff pastry frozen thawed (from a)
• 0.1 teaspoon sea salt fine
• 2 teaspoons butter unsalted melted
• 1.3 ounce walnuts cooled toasted finely chopped

Equipment

• baking sheet
• oven
• cookie cutter
• rolling pin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Stir together walnuts, butter, and salt.
3. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14- by 12-inch rectangle.
4. Cut out 40 rounds with lightly floured cookie cutter and discard trimmings.
5. 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.
6. 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.)
7. 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.
8. Mash together cheese and toasted walnuts with a fork.
9. 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.
10. • 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.