An Unusual and Very Tasty Twist on the Classic Cheese Pie.
I’ve been using the kimchi I made in quite a few recipes and here’s one of my favorites. I added it to a creamy cheddar pie to which I also added sliced Lap Cheong – Chinese sausage *. If you’ve never eaten this sausage, it’s a dried hard pork sausage with a sweet and smoky flavor. I’m nuts about it and usually have a package stashed in my freezer.
I just knew the flavors of the sausage and the kimchi would play very well together. One is smoky/sweet and the other is spicy/sour. Seemed like a good plan.
I’ve been wanting to try using phyllo for the crust in this kind of savory pie and took the plunge. Seeing as I was using a deep dish pie plate, the first issue was with the size of my sheets of phyllo. I used Athens brand and the sheets are 9 x 14 inches. I couldn’t simply center them into the pie dish because they’re not big enough. So, after puzzling over this for a couple of days, here’s what I did.
I placed one sheet on my work surface, lightly brushed it with butter, and then overlapped another sheet, by about an inch, on the long side of the sheet, and brushed it with butter. I continued in this manner, but I rotated each new layer a little, so that I would have a rough circle by the time I was done. I used 16 sheets in total. I made sure to show you how I did it in the video, so you can clearly see how it was done. I had concerns about whether this buttered stack of phyllo would stick to my counter and was happily surprised when I was easily able to simply pick it up and place it in the buttered pie dish. I then folded in the edges and roughly crinkled them. You don’t want to handle the delicate edges too much.
I really didn’t know what to expect when I pre-baked the crust, but after 15 minutes in the oven, it had crisped and browned. The bottom had puffed up some, so I used the back side of a spoon to tap it down before I added the filling.
After quickly browning the sausage in a skillet, I added the kimchi with a pinch of sugar, and cooked it until it had lightly caramelized. I spread this onto the bottom of the crust and topped it with aged cheddar. I went with my standard crème fraîche, heavy cream, and eggs custard because I’ve yet to find a savory custard that’s as good as this one. I seasoned it with soy sauce and black pepper, poured it over the cheese and sprinkled on nigella seeds *. I held back a few slices of the sausage and scattered them on top before putting it in the oven to bake for about 35 minutes. All it needed were some sliced scallions to brighten it up after it rested for 15 minutes.
Now, what do I think about using phyllo in this manner? I think it makes a great pie crust. It’s lighter than other pastry doughs and with a rich and creamy filling like you see here, it’s delicate crispy layers are appreciated. And the bottom stays nicely crisp after it bakes.
And what about the overall pie? Oh, yeah, it’s really good. Even my non-kimchi loving family member lapped this right up. It’s a beauty.
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Cheddar Pie with Kimchi and Chinese Sausage
6
servingsA phyllo crust is filled with a crème fraîche custard, aged cheddar, kimchi, Chinese sausage and nigella seeds. The result is a creamy savory pie with deep, yet bright flavors.
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Ingredients
8 ounces phyllo (half of 1 pound box of Athens phyllo sheets)
1 stick salted butter, melted
7 ounces Chinese Sausage *, skins removed and thinly sliced
1 cup kimchi, drained and chopped
Pinch sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup crème fraîche, which is easily made by adding 2 tablespoons buttermilk to one cup heavy cream, covering loosely and letting it sit at room temperature for anywhere from 18 to 36 hours, until it thickens and becomes tangy. Refrigerate at that point. I always make it 2 days before I need it because it varies in the amount of time it takes to properly thicken.
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Black peppercorns
7 ounces aged English cheddar, shredded
2 teaspoons nigella seeds *
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375° with a rack in the center. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo on your work surface, overlapping slightly on one long side. Brush with the butter and layer on 2 more sheets, rotating the sheets slightly, until you have used 16 sheets of phyllo. Lift the stack of phyllo and place into a buttered deep dish pie dish. Gently ease the pastry down the sides and fold over the edges, pleating and crinkling the pastry as you work your way around the edge. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling.
- Add the sliced sausages to a non stick skillet over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, just until they start to crisp. Push them to the edges of the pan and add the kimchi to the center of the skillet. Sprinkle the kimchi with a pinch of sugar, stir and let cook for a few minutes without stirring. You want the kimchi to caramelize a little. Stir it into the sausages and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the kimchi starts to get a little brown on the edges. Set aside and allow it to cool a little.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche, heavy cream, soy sauce, and a few grinds of black pepper.
- If the bottom crust has puffed up, as mine did, use the back side of a spoon to tap it down. It will crack, but that’s fine. The very bottom layers will remain intact and you won’t have any leakage. Spread the kimchi and sausage over the bottom of the pie shell, holding back a few slices of sausage to place on top. Scatter the cheese evenly over the sausage and kimchi, and pour the custard over all of it. Sprinkle with nigella seeds and place the reserved slices of sausage on top. Bake for 35 minutes - just until the center barely jiggles when the dish is gently shaken. It will completely set as it cools. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before scattering the scallions on top. Slice, serve, and Enjoy!
