Chef Lee Won-il reimagines Korea's beloved walnut cake at 'Walnut Table' event

A cold salad found its way inside a warm walnut cake. The combination seemed unlikely — but one bite was enough to reveal a strangely compelling harmony.

On Monday, the California Walnut Commission and Chef Lee Won-il teamed up for a "Walnut Table" event at Lee's restaurant, Iwon-il Siktak, in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The commission organized the promotion to showcase California walnuts through a special offline menu and an online campaign on Kakao Gift.

That day, Lee demonstrated three dishes he developed using California walnuts. The first, a walnut cake chicken sandwich, tucked a chicken breast and raisin salad inside a crispy pastry walnut cake shell. The walnut's nuttiness paired with the salad's sweet-and-tangy flavor, and the textures made it particularly fun to eat — the crunch of the pastry gave way to the chewiness of the chicken and raisins, followed by the crispness of apple.

"The fruit that pairs best with walnuts is apple," Lee said. "When eating walnuts in a salad, having them with apple really brings out the flavor."

The second dessert was a dried persimmon and cream cheese walnut cake. Inspired by the traditional dessert of persimmon rolled with walnut, Lee placed the filling inside a monaka — a thin wafer shell shaped like a walnut cake. "I chose monaka to make the outer shell as thin as possible," he said.

The choice proved inspired. The delicate wafer shattered at first bite, releasing a smooth walnut cream. The filling combined dried persimmon, crushed California walnuts and cream cheese.

The final dessert, a walnut cake financier, used a California walnut financier from the bakery brand Napoleon Gwajajjeom. Lee served it alongside a red bean cream he made himself.

The drink accompanying the desserts was a walnut sujeonggwa — a traditional cinnamon punch in which sweetly braised walnut pieces replaced the usual pine nuts and jujubes. The walnut's nutty aroma balanced the punch's cinnamon flavor.

Lee used walnuts in varying degrees of roast across the three dishes. The walnut cake chicken sandwich called for raw crushed walnuts to preserve their mild, natural aroma. The dried persimmon and cream cheese walnut cake used lightly roasted walnuts. The financier featured dark-roasted walnuts. "Roasting walnuts in an air fryer at home makes them even more delicious," Lee said.

He also recommended a hansik dish featuring walnuts: roasted walnut porridge. "It was one of the dishes that got the best response from customers," he said. "Walnut oil itself is incredibly nutty, so it makes for a wonderfully flavorful porridge."

To make it, roast crushed walnuts in an air fryer, then blend them finely with soaked rice. Transfer the mixture to a pot, add water gradually and bring to a boil. Season with salt and sugar or honey. Lee's recommended garnish is vanilla bean.

For a Western option, he introduced the French dish velouté — made by sautéing potato, raw walnuts and butter, then adding equal parts heavy cream and milk and simmering until cooked.

"California walnuts are rich in protein and dietary fiber, and are particularly high in alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid," Lee said. "Their outstanding nutty flavor and texture make them an ingredient that pairs beautifully with a wide range of other foods."

A California Walnut Commission official said the "Walnut Table" promotion offered consumers a chance to discover new sides of California walnuts and enjoy the familiar walnut cake in a fresh way.