Skip to main content

Asparagus and Gruyere tart

Last weekend I was actually planning to make a crab and Gruyere tart, but unfortunately, there was no crab to be found apart from a small tub that will cost a fortune to make. Always happy to use ingredients that are at hand, I decided to make the tart with asparagus instead. Now is the season for local asparagus, that tastes slightly sweeter.

For the pastry:
225g plain flour
110 g chilled butter
a small glass of chilled water

For the filling:
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
200 ml double cream
a pinch of nutmeg
100g Gruyere cheese, grated
salt and pepper
a bunch of fresh asparagus, about 12 stalks

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius and grease an 8-inch (20cm) baking tin with a removable base.

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl, then chop the chilled butter into small pieces and drop them into the bowl. Cover the butter pieces with flour and gently rub them with your fingertips until they resemble rough breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and then slowly, a teaspoon at a time, add the iced water until the pastry just comes together. 

Push the pastry into the greased baking tin, easing it around gently with your knuckle and making sure the sides are also high enough. Line the top with baking parchment, weigh it down with baking beans if you have them (I didn't), and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Snap the woody end of the asparagus and steam the stalks for 2 minutes, run them under cold water and pat dry.

Combine the eggs with cream and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Beat the mixture thoroughly with a hand electric mixer and then let it stand for 20 minutes. Then beat again and carefully add the grated cheese in. Pour the filling into the case and arrange the asparagus stalks on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and filling domed, burnished and puffy. 

Allow for it to cool at room temperature before serving. It's delicious on its own or served with a side salad.




The original recipe is from Make Mine a Martini by Kay Plunkett-Hogge

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Delicious thinly sliced pork in Korean marinade

Sometimes you found a recipe and wrote it down on a piece of paper to try it out. Having done that, you forget where the recipe came from. Likewise this Korean recipe for pork, which turned out to be so delicious we have cooked it for everyone. The marinade is simple to make and yet really packed with flavours. For the Korean marinade you need  3 garlic cloves 1/2 brown onion 1/2 a pear or apple Blitz these ingredients together and then add 5 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Kikkoman) 3 tablespoons caster sugar 2 tablespoons sesame oil 3 tablespoons mirin black pepper For dinner for 2 people, 200g pork tenderloin is enough. Slice this thinly, and bash it to an even thinner piece with a meat mallet. Marinade in the sauce and leave it in the fridge for an hour. Then heat a frying pan on medium heat with a teaspoon of vegetable oil and fry the thin pork pieces until browned. You want some of the edges of the meat to be dark brown and caramelised, if you can. Don't cook too many pieces or
Post a Comment
Read more

Explore the rich musical tradition of the Royal Navy at a special two-day event at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Whether you love sea shanties full of salty metaphors and swashbuckling action, or the stirring sound of a military band with brass and drums, there will be music across Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in a new event on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th June 2023, which is completely free with a valid ticket to the given attractions. The rich history of music in the Royal Navy is being explored at a brand new two-day event, featuring a wide range of musical performances and styles, from The Royal Marines School of Music to Tudor Opera singing with Jay Britton. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard comes alive with music, beginning on Friday 23rd June, with a special Solent Shanty singing event in collaboration with the Portsmouth Music Hub. This special collaboration has allowed the museum to host a special performance of sea shanties by over 700 children in the shadow of the legendary HMS Victory. This new event continues on Saturday 24th June, featuring performances across Portsmouth Historic Docky
Post a Comment
Read more

‘Southsea dinosaur’ returns

Luna Park 2021, an eagerly anticipated new public artwork for Portsmouth designed by internationally renowned artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak of Studio Morison will be launched on 2 October 2021 on a celebratory day in Southsea Common.  The 1.4 metres bronze sculpture is a tribute to the original 53-foot high 2010 artwork Luna Park, which tragically burned down on Southsea Common. The artists will unveil a new sculpture that responds to ten years of public demand to ‘bring back the Southsea Dinosaur’.  The new public artwork will be located within a direct sightline to the position of the original Luna Park sculpture. It will sit on top of a fossil Portland stone plinth with a QR code which when scanned with a smartphone will connect to an Augmented Reality experience. People will be transported to a digital rendering of the original artwork, seemingly standing life-size in front of them on Southsea Common. Viewers will also be able to use their mobile devices to visit a digital
Post a Comment
Read more