Wild Asparagus and Aged Cheddar Tart

Wild Asparagus and Aged Cheddar Tart

I discovered wild asparagus quite recently. I was browsing in a green grocer when I came across a bunch of skinny mini asparagus lookey likey and decided I’d better try them.

The first bunch of wild asparagus I purchased was for tasting and so I kept it very simple. I fried them down gently in a little bit of butter and with the tiniest bit of garlic and parsley. Wild asparagus have a very gentle flavour, fresh and yet a little bit nutty. The texture is firm, with a light crunch. As this vegetable has a very short season and is not the easiest to find, I bought a second bunch and decided it would make for an excellent tart. 

I bought a beautifully aged cheddar from Sheridan’s Cheesemongers at their Irish Food Festival last month. I didn’t have much left of it but enough to accompany my asparagus tart. The salty tartness of the cheese was a great compliment to the nuttiness of the wild asparagus. The silkiness of the filling takes away the sharpness of the dish and all these ingredients combined make for a balanced, unusual and very satisfying tart. 

Ingredients 

  • One sheet of shortcrust pastry
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche
  • 1 bunch of wild asparagus 
  • 1 large chunk of aged cheddar (100 g)
  • 1 handful of chives or flat parsley
  • 1 packet of cherry tomatoes
  • sprinkle of aromatic seasoning from Brook Lodge, you can use salt and pepper and 1 grated garlic clove instead. 

Wild asparagus and aged cheddar tart

 

Method 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C or gas mark 5
  • Blind bake your pastry for 15 to 20 min until the edges are golden but not yet brown.
  • In the meantime, cut the tail of your asparagus to remove any bruised bits. 
  • Dry fry (no oil) the asparagus for 5 min over a medium heat.
  • Beat your eggs, grated cheese, herbs and your creme fraiche.
  • Cut your tomatoes in half and season them. 
  • Take the pastry out and pour the creamy cheesy egg mixture in the pastry case. 
  • Place your asparagus on top of the mixture. 
  • As they are slender and bit a flexible from having been fried you can have fun with the design you may want on the tart.
  • Place back in the oven for 10 min. 
  • Once it’s cooled down a bit plate the tomatoes around the edges of the tart. 

 

Wild asparagus tart with tomatoes

 

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5 Comments

  1. Laura says:

    This looks so good! I have never seen wild asparagus beyond the screen of my computer. I am gonna keep my eyes peeled at the local markets over the next few weeks πŸ™‚

    1. Proper Food says:

      It was so simple and tasty. I’ll be looking for them every year. This will work with normal asparagus too but let me know if you find the wild ones!

  2. Donna says:

    That looks stunning Katia! I’ve never seen wild asparagus before.
    I make a similar tart with asparagus, pancetta and a couple of eggs broken into it.

    1. Proper Food says:

      Yum! So many happy combinations out there πŸ™‚

  3. Thom says:

    No such thing as “wild aspargus” it’s just normal.

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