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 fan. 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.

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

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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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.