Asparagus Tart

My favourite time of the year at Bardies starts with the arrival of the new season's asparagus. The French seem to prefer the delicate white varieties, with their complex, subtle flavours, but I like the good, wholesome, old fashioned green ones which always look so perfect on a plate when mixed with anything made with egg yolks. Gently steamed young asparagus spears, dunked into a silky, sunny, home-made Hollandaise sauce and eaten with one's fingers, is one of the wonders of the world, a veritable marriage made in heaven. A close second, tied with asparagus risotto, is our great lunchtime Spring staple, Asparagus Tart.

The French use 'pate brisee', their equivalent to our shortcrust pastry, which, like ours, has a high fat content to make the pastry 'short'. You can easily cheat by buying it in a packet [but do make sure that it is 100% 'pur beurre'] from the chill cabinet in 'Intermarche'. The sublime combination of asparagus, egg yolks and Parmesan will amply satiate the tastebuds and only the most sophisticated, and pedantic, lunch guests will ever notice. Sometimes, though, it's just so much more simple to bung the pastry ingredients into the food processor than to schlep down to St Girons for the pre-processed, and inevitably inferior, ready-made product.

ASPARAGUS TART

FOR THE PASTRY

120g organic plain white flour
60g cold butter
good pinch fine sea salt
2 tbs iced water
1 egg yolk

Sift the flour and salt into the food processor then quickly chop the butter into small pieces and place on top. Using the pulse button, process for 25 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water through the funnel on top and pulse. Add second tablespoonful and pulse again. Add a little of the egg yolk and continue to pulse one step at a time until the pastry begins to cohere into a solid lump. You may need to add a tiny bit more water, as so much of pastry making depends on the quality of the flour and the ambient temperature, but do not overwork. Remove immediately, wrap in clingfilm and put in fridge for 40 minutes.

FOR THE ASPARAGUS TART

beaten egg for brushing
1 bundle of asparagus
15 fl oz creme de Normande [or 10 fluid oz milk mixed with 5 fluid oz double cream]
5 egg yolks
50g freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C. Beware! The ovens at Bardies burn hot! You may need to reduce the heat - if in doubt, use an oven thermometer.

Grease a 22cm metal flan tin with butter. We also have ceramic ones in the cupboard, if you prefer. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out quickly on a floured work surface to fit. Put the pastry onto the rolling pin and gently lay it inside. Leave the edges rough for the moment, as they will allow for shrinkage and you can cut them off before serving. Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper big enough to cover the tart and lay it over it. Put the ceramic baking beans on top and shake them about to spread them evenly. Bake 'blind' in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes, then remove the beans and greaseproof paper and prick the pastry base with a fork. Return to the oven for 5 -6 minutes. Remove and brush with beaten egg.

Meanwhile, steam the asparagus in the asparagus steamer, stems downwards for about 5 minutes. I find that the best way to get rid of any woody stems is to hold each end of the spear in two hands and allow the stem to naturally snap in half when gently put under pressure, a really useful tip from my mother-in-law. Remove the spears from the steamer basket and allow to cool. Chop stems into 2 cm pieces but leave the heads whole.

Beat the cream and egg yolks together, fold in the grated Parmesan and season well. Place the asparagus evenly into the pastry case and pour the cream mixture on top. Bake for about 30 minutes until nicely puffed up and browned at the edges.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes [a too-hot tart doesn't taste of anything!]. Using a small sharp knife cut off the rough edges. Slip the tart out of the tin by placing it on an upside down mug and sliding the tin downwards away from the round base. Serve with a tangy, crunchy salad - perhaps a tomato and red onion salad, the sliced onions marinated in freshly squeezed lemon juice for 20 minutes or so beforehand, or a green salad with a citrus dressing. I really like to serve this on blue china for even more colour - a feast for the eyes as well.

Bon appetit, mes amis!

POSTCRIPT

Whilst rummaging around a charity shop in Salisbury yesterday, I found the lovely Allegra McEvedy's 'Economy Gastronomy', co-written with Paul Merrett, for £2.50. I wouldn't have paid £20 for it but like Allegra's great G2 column in 'The Guardian', it's full of really useful, no-nonsense, spicy and hearty dishes to die for. I can vouchsafe her never fail Hollandaise recipe, which we had with lightly smoked salmon fillets and new season's Hertfordshire asparagus.

ALLEGRA McEVEDY'S NEVER FAIL HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

150 g salted butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 tbs [a half tablespoon] Dijon mustard
juice 1/2 [half] a lemon
salt and white pepper

METHOD

Melt the butter for the Hollandaise. Whizz the egg yolks, mustard and lemon juice in the food processor for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Once the butter has melted, bring it to a rapid boil, then immediately drip feed it into the whirring food processor. As soon as it's all incorporated, tip the sauce into a bowl and season to taste. Voila!