'Cheats ' Asparagus Tart
Late spring is a time of dashing around, so there never seems to be enough time to do everything.
This simple Asparagus ‘cheats’ tart is perfect for lunch or suppers on the hoof.
Eat with a simple salad or it makes a great light first course for a more formal dinner.
Ingredients:
Ready-to-roll short crust pastry
1/2 pack Rochefort or other blue cheese of choice
1 cup walnuts
10 x thick blanched fresh asparagus stems
Dijon Mustard
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. On a flat baking sheet lay out, the ready-to-roll pasty. Ideally it will be a rectangle, but circular does not matter.
3. Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard over the pastry to within 5cm of the edges.
4. Take ten thick blanched stems of fresh asparagus and slice them in half-length ways. Next lay them in rows along the pastry.
5. Crumble the blue cheese and lightly cast over the asparagus.
6. With a rolling pin, or wide backed spoon, crush the walnut halves and cast over the cheese. If you have a nut allergy a suitable alternative to walnut is halved black olives.
7. Place the tart in the middle of a preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until the asparagus slightly golden in places.