27 June 2012

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

Wild asparagus - almost too beautiful to eat! You want to put them in a vase and just admire them instead. They look a bit like Hyacinths in green and apparently come from the same plant family. I just happened to spot them while shopping for vegetables. There was only one bunch left, and it had my name on it  ;-)  Apparently they are quite common here in Belgium and also France, but I had seen them for the first time and never eaten them before. Wild asparagus is a lot more delicate and mild than normal asparagus and I wanted to make them taste in their own right and keep their beautiful look. In the end I decided to make a simple tarte, adding just a little goats cheese and a small amount of
red onion, a sprinkle of olive oil, and a magic ingredient: truffle oil,that worked really well in combination with the other ingredients and made the flavours all come together. I was a bit worried about the thin stalks drying out during baking, so softened them a little in salted water beforehand and also pre-baked the tarte to reduce the oven cooking time. The finished dish looked so nice, and we were eating it half with our eyes  :-)

Makes 6-8 slice:

1 bunch wild asparagus
app. 150g goats cheese (preferably crumbly)
1 small red onion
1 pack (app. 230g) ready rolled puff pastry
extra virgin olive oil
truffle oil
salt

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fanLay out the pastry on a lined baking tray. Score the dough with a sharp knife all around app. 2cm away from the rim, this will create a border during baking. Pierce the whole surface of the dough several times with a fork.

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

Bake in the oven for app. 15 minutes or until the dough has started to rise and has browned a little.

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

In the meantime, wash and clean the asparagus. The stems are very soft and don't need cutting. Put them in salted water and simmer gently for a couple of minutes until they are a little bit soft - don't overcook them, I think the tips might fall apart. Drain into a sieve, pour over cold water to set their beautiful green colour, then drizzle over a little olive oil and turn them a couple of times until they are all coated. 

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

Once the dough is pre-baked, remove it from the oven. Drizzle over a little olive oil, then crumble over the goats cheese. Peel the onion, then cut into very thin slices. Scatter the onion over the cheese, keeping a couple of slices on the side for decoration.

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

Arrange the asparagus on top in a nice round movement, then scatter the remaining onions on top. Season with salt, then sprinkle more olive oil on top, followed by a few sprinkles of truffle oil, if at hand.

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

Bake in the pre-heated oven for app. 15 mins or until the asparagus is soft and the cheese is melted. Cut into wedges using a very sharp knife and serve.

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE

WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE



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WILD ASPARAGUS AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE


Makes 6-8 slice:

1 bunch wild asparagus, washed and cleaned
app. 150g goats cheese (preferably crumbly), crumbled
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 pack (app. 230g) ready rolled puff pastry
extra virgin olive oil
truffle oil
salt

1) Pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan

2) Prepare the pastry: Lay out the pastry on a lined baking tray. Score the dough with a sharp knife all around app. 2cm away from the rim, this will create a border during baking. Pierce the whole surface of the dough several times with a fork.

3) Pre-bake the pastry: Bake the pastry in the oven for app. 15 minutes or until the dough has started to rise and has browned a little.

4) Prepare the asparagus: In the meantime, wash and clean the asparagus. The stems are very soft and don't need cutting. Put them in salted water and simmer gently for a couple of minutes until they are a little bit soft - don't overcook them, I think the tips might fall apart. Drain into a sieve, pour over cold water to set their beautiful green colour, then drizzle over a little olive oil and turn them a couple of times until they are all coated. 

5) Put the ingredients onto the pastry: Once the dough is pre-baked, remove it from the oven. Drizzle over a little olive oil, then crumble over the goats cheese. Peel the onion, then cut into very thin slices. Scatter the onion over the cheese, keeping a couple of slices on the side for decoration.

6) Add the asparagus: Arrange the asparagus on top in a nice round movement, then scatter the remaining onions on top. 

7) Season: Season with salt, then sprinkle more olive oil on top, followed by a few sprinkles of truffle oil, if at hand.

8) Bake: Bake in the pre-heated oven for app. 15 mins or until the asparagus is soft and the cheese is melted. 

9) Serve: Cut into wedges using a very sharp knife and serve.

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