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. 

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.