Such a fun way to serve asparagus during peak season. The tart cases are made with pre-rolled puff pastry for a really easygoing but impressive recipe. Filled with a minty whipped ricotta and topped with perfectly crisp asparagus.
SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- A pastry brush. If you don’t have one to hand you can use kitchen paper to gently blot on the egg wash.
- A piping bag – this is optional but ensures the filling is added in neatly. If you don’t have one you can just spoon the ricotta filling in carefully.
iNGREDIENTS
Makes 4 portions
4 thick stems of asparagus, or 8-12 regular pieces of asparagus, woody part of the stalk trimmed off
320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
150g ricotta
1 tbsp creme fraiche
10g mint leaves, washed
1 tbsp grated pecorino cheese
1 egg
a dash of milk
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Looking for substitutions?
Swap the pecorino with parmesan
You can omit the egg wash, the pastry will just be a little less glossy
Sub Greek yoghurt for the creme fraiche
RECIPE
- Cut the pastry into 4 rectangles around 5x15cm, but use your asparagus as a guide for the dimensions. Cut a border of pastry of 0.5cm thickness, place on top of the pastry rectangles and gently press down
- Spread a thin layer of ricotta to the central part of the pastry – this will inhibit the rise here
- Beat together the egg and milk until combined and brush the border of the pastry. Place on a parchment lined metal baking sheet and bake at 175c until evenly golden – around 22 minutes
- Meanwhile place the ricotta, pecorino, mint and creme fraiche in a blender and blitz until smooth. Season to taste, then spoon into a piping bag
- Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Peel the bottom part of the asparagus stem if the skin is particularly thick (optional). Cook the asparagus until just tender – this will vary greatly depending on thickness but around 1.5 minutes for a chunky piece. Drain and place immediately in a bath of ice water (if eating straight away you can cool in cold water and skip the ice)
- Allow the tart shells to cool slightly before filling with the ricotta mixture and topping with the asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper
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