Inspiration

Sawday’s x Riverford: Asparagus & blue cheese tart

5 min read

Asparagus has a very short and eagerly anticipated season. This vegetarian tart pairs it with many of its foodie friends; blue cheese, eggs, nuts, fennel and citrus.

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Ingredients

300g puff pastry

4 egg yolks, beaten

5 tbsp crème fraiche

150g blue cheese

300g asparagus, trimmed

80g watercress

1 fennel bulb, trimmed & very finely sliced

2 orange, skinned & segmented

40g roasted hazelnuts, chopped

olive oil

salt & pepper

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.

Step 2

Roll the pastry out into a large rectangle and sit it on a lined baking tray. Crimp the edges to create a 2cm border around the edge. Brush the whole thing with some beaten egg yolk and use a fork to prick the middle part several times (this helps prevent it puffing up too much). Transfer to the oven for 12-15 minutes, until a pale golden colour, but not quite cooked through.

Step 3

Meanwhile, tip the remaining egg yolks into a mixing bowl, then stir in the crème fraiche and crumble in the blue cheese.

Step 4

Trim away any tough end from the asparagus, split any fat stalks in half lengthways so that they are all roughly the same size.

Step 5

After 12-15 minutes, remove the pastry from the oven. Carefully push down any pastry that’s risen in the middle part, leaving the edge puffed up. Carefully spoon the egg mixture into the middle of the pastry and evenly spread it out to the edges. Scatter the asparagus artistically over the top. Return to the oven for a final 15 minutes to cook the filling and finish the pastry.

Step 6

While the tart cooks, throw the watercress, fennel, orange and hazelnuts together in a bowl. When the tart is ready toss the salad with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to dress.

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Lewis Glanvill

Lewis Glanvill is head chef at Riverford's Field Kitchen restaurant, where he joined from Gara Rock hotel and restaurant in south Devon. He is a talented and creative chef with a passion for sustainability, foraging, fermenting and preserving.

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