SOY SALMON AND BRAISED CABBAGE TARTLETS

Christmas is a time for sharing, and these seasonal tartlets with sensational @LKK sauces make for the perfect party snack. Dainty pastry shells loaded with sesame-spiked red cabbage, soy-glazed salmon and sharp carrot pickled in rice vinegar - sweet, sour, savoury and salt come together in one handy mouthful! This is Christmas with an Asian-inspired twist.

Ingredients

500 g plain flour

1 tsp salt

220 g unsalted butter (chilled)

1 large egg yolk

100 ml whole milk

1 large carrot

150 ml Seasoned Rice Vinegar

50 g caster sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 red cabbage

1 tbsp Sesame Wok Oil

15 g ginger

1 orange

150 ml red wine

2 tbsp Premium Light Soy Sauce

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp black sesame seeds

1/2 bunch coriander

200 g cream cheese

1/2 side salmon

150 ml Premium Dark Soy Sauce

3 tbsp soft light brown sugar

24 tartlet tins (6cm diameter)

Method

Tip the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Dice the butter into cubes and add it to the flour. Work the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and the milk and incorporate it into the flour, bringing it together into a rough dough. Try to work it as little as possible. Wrap the dough in Cling Film and leave it to rest in the fridge for an hour.
Peel the carrot, then continue to peel it into thin strips. Slice the strips into 1/2cm wide ribbons and place them in a mixing bowl.
Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Bring it to a boil, then take it off the heat and pour it over the carrots. Transfer the bowl to the fridge and leave it for a few hours to chill completely.
While the pastry and pickle are chilling, remove the core from the cabbage, then cut what remains into quarters and shred then leaves. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Put a large saucepan over a high heat and pour in the oil. Add the cabbage and ginger and fry for 5 minutes, then finely grate in the zest of the orange and squeeze in the juice. Pour in the wine and soy sauce and bring it up to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 45 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Cut the chilled dough into 4 and roll each piece into a 1/2cm sheet. Use a 7cm diameter ring cutter to cut circles of dough, then press them into your tartlet moulds. You should have just enough pastry to reach up the sides of the moulds.
Cut out small squares of baking paper. Pierce the pastry a few times with a knife and place the baking paper inside each tart shell. Weigh it down with baking beans or dried rice.
Bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes, until deep golden brown all over. Remove it from the oven and carefully lift out the baking beans. Leave to cool.
Preheat the grill to high and line a baking tray with tin foil. Put a small saucepan over a high heat and pour in the soy sauce. Add the brown sugar, then bring to a boil and let it bubble away for 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a loose syrup.
Place the salmon onto the lined tray and brush it generously with the soy glaze. Place it under the grill for 10-12 minutes, brushing on more glaze every 2-3 minutes, until the outside is dark and sticky. Use a knife to flake a little of the fillet. It should be opaque pink all the way through. Once done, leave it to cool completely and chill in the fridge until needed.
Finely chop the coriander. Fold most of it through the cabbage with most of the white and black sesame seeds, saving a little of each for garnish. Finally, stir the cream cheese through the cabbage.
Spoon a small amount of cabbage into each tart shell. Top with a few flakes of salmon and a few ribbons of carrot. Scatter over the reserved sesame seeds and chopped coriander and serve. Makes 24.