Asparagus Tart (or Tartlet!) with Pinenuts and cheese

Ingredients

1 sheet read rolled Puff Pastry

1 Free Range Egg, light beaten

150g cottage cheese

60g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

Cracked Black pepper

Juice and zest of 1/4 lemon

8 Asparagus spears, sliced in half lengthwase 

Pinenuts

1 tablespoons E.V Olive Oil

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Side salad with balsamic glaze to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 200⁰c (180⁰c fan assist) or middle of the Aga.

Roll the pastry out onto a non stick baking sheet (it normally comes on Greaseproof paper so just leave it on that)

In a bowl, lightly combine the egg (take a spoonful of the egg and put aside for brushing the pastry later) cottage cheese, parmesan, lemon juice and zest, chilli flakes, black pepper and parmesan. 

Slice the spears lengthways.

Score the pastry with a border in a rectangle, round 1.5cm from the outside edge. Don’t cut all the way through the pastry just halfway through with a sharp knife. Those will create the raised crust for the tart. 

Pour the cottage cheese mixture across the pastry.

Line the asparagus one by one next to each other. 

Sprinkle with a handful of pinenuts. 

Brush the crust of the pastry with a little egg wash. 

Grate a little more parmesan across the tart and pop in the middle of the oven. 

Cook for 20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through. 

Serve warm with a side salad and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.