Wednesday 14 May 2014

Asparagus and prosciutto tart

Baking is fun. Even photographing it is fun. And eating - man, that's the most fun of all! But writing about it isn't quite as much fun. The word "pie" just sounds a bit naughty. And don't get me started on the connotations of and alternative uses for the of the word "tart"...

But as I too am trying to make the most of the asparagus season it was inevitable they find their way into one. Along with prosciutto, which is pretty unbeatable a combination. For a little added springtime freshness I grated the zest of 1/2 lemon into the crust and sprinkled some mint into the filling. If mint sets your hearts racing for all the wrong reasons you can use chives instead. Or any other herb. Or a mix of them.




The crust was the trusty old recipe I used for salmon, spinach and egg tart but another good (and less buttery) recipe is the galette recipe I used for the harvest pie too. 

Whether of not to blind-bake is really down to you. Blind-baking does result in crispier crunch, but the not blind-baked does have a richer taste... Your call!

Rub the ingredients together, form into a ball, wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Roll the dough into a sheet and place onto the tin. Let rest in the cold for another half an hour before baking. If blind-baking, place a foil sheet on top of the dough and fill with dried beans/ rice/ceramic baking beans and pre-bake at 200 for 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil (and beans, obviously) and continue baking for 10 more minutes until a bit golden.

Let cool. Scatter prosciutto slices onto the shell and sprinkle herbs on top. Pour cream-mixture on top and place the trimmed asparagus on top. Bake at 200 for 30-40 minutes until the filling has set.

Filling:

50 g prosciutto
1 bunch of asparagus
(1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint)

Egg-cream-mixture:

1/2 dl milk (or grated cheese)
1 1/2 dl cream
2 eggs
salt (carefully though - prosciutto is salty!), black pepper

A glass of chilled white wine (a Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, perhaps?) and some friends... Ah, summer!




The asparagus doesn't really bother to keep up the appearance as it bakes in the oven, so if you want them looking pristine, bake the tart without them and top with steamed asparagus after the baking. Vegetarians could leave out prosciutto and give the tart more flavour by using grated cheese instead.

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ANYONE FOR SECONDS?


      


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