Asparagus Spring Tart

Asparagus Spring Tart

• 250g ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp mustard
• Handful of chopped parsley
• Handful of grated Parmesan
• Salt & Pepper
• 8 asparagus spears
• 4 slices of Parma ham
• Handful of pea shoots
• Vinaigrette 
• 1 sheet of ready made puff pastry  

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, parsley, lemon juice & zest, mustard, Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, mix well and set aside.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment.  Unroll the pastry and place onto the tray, you may need to trim the end as the pastry is just a bit bigger than a standard sized tray.  With a sharp knife, score the pastry 1" from the edge in a rectangular shape to create a scored border.   Using a fork, prick the pastry all over within the border (do not prick the border itself). Beat the egg yolk and with a pastry brush, coat the tart with the egg wash.  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and place the pastry in and cook for around ten minutes, the pastry should have puffed up and have coloured slightly, and will have a raised border.  Remove from the oven and leave to settle for ten minutes then spread the cheese mixture over the pastry (not on the border).  Trim your asparagus spears to fit the tart and place them on top, tear up the Parma ham and scatter this on top and then cook in the oven for around 20-25 minutes, keep an eye though to ensure the pastry does not burn.

Once cooked, remove the tart from the oven, top with the pea shoots, some gratings of Parmesan and drizzle over a little vinaigrette.  I served this with a nice crisp salad but baby small potatoes tossed in butter would go equally as well.

This tart was so tasty, fresh and zesty from the lemon with a bit of punch from the mustard.  We are coming into asparagus season so this recipe is perfect right now however don't reserve it just for spring as you can get asparagus pretty much year round!  

Mexicow Pie with Mexican Style Corn on the Cob

Mexicow Pie with Mexican Style Corn on the Cob

• 2 Mexicow pies from the lovely people at Pieminister
• 2 corn on the cob
• Handful of grated parmesan
• Handful of finely chopped coriander
• 2 lime quarters
• Sprinkling of paprika
• 2 large knobs of butter

Method:

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the corn and cook for 15 minutes.  At the same time put the pies in the oven and cook according to instructions.  Drain the corn and leave to steam dry in the pan.  In a large bowl place the butter and put the corn on top, turning it in order that the butter melts evenly over all of the corn.  Heat a griddle pan and transfer the corn to the pan and cook on high, you want to get some colour to the sweetcorn, this should take about 10 minutes.  Return the corn to the bowl and sprinkle over the parmesan, coriander and paprika, again turning the corn as you go so it is all covered, then transfer to a plate along with the pies.  We served a good portion of chips with this, would be rude not to!

This is another one from my range of cheats dinners as I didn’t make the pie!  The  pie is made by Pieminister and is one of the extensive range which they produce, which includes gluten free pies.  These are available from Borough Market, Boxpark Shoreditch, online, in store at one of their restaurants and cafes and in a number of pubs dotted around the country, so there is no excuse for you not to have either heard of them or be able to get your hands on one of these delish pies (just to clarify, you can buy more than one at a time!). 

The Mexicow is a British beef, kidney bean, cheddar & chilli pie, hence my choice of corn to go with it.  Well, the pie is packed to bursting, there are no half measures and you can actually see the oozy cheese in the pie!  To say this was tasty is an understatement, the pastry is crisp and the filling was spot on!  My only suggestion would be that they come out with a hotter version of this pie as I do like a good bit of heat, especially with my Mexican dishes, perhaps the Mexicow Extreme!

Pieminister have pies to suit all tastes and they all have funky names, Kate & Sidney, Chicken of Aragon, Feta Attraction, SAAG Pie-Neer just to name a few, I dare you not to find something you don’t like!  In the world of pies, it certainly seems like they are taking over, I was staggered to learn that they have their own cafes and restaurants, there was me thinking they sold them off the back of a truck down at the market, they even cater for weddings!  Is there nothing these people cant do?  Oh, and if you are not a fan of pastry, you can get a Pie Pot, this basically is the pie filling topped with potato, they really have thought of everything. 

I had been aware of this brand but it was only after spotting them and following them on Instagram did I then realise what a range they produced.  Having seen the Mexicow I kept pestering Scott to pay them a visit at Borough Market to get us a couple to try, eventually he dragged himself down there and boy was he glad he did (as was I), I’ve never seen anyone happier eating a pie lol. 

I would definitely recommend you make a purchase so you an see how good they are for yourself, also check out the website it makes for interesting reading, these award winning pies are award winning for a reason and these guys do lots for charity as well, buy a pie and support a good cause.  They can be found online at www.pieminister.co.uk

Baked Camembert Cranberry Burst

Baked Camembert Cranberry Burst

• 2 packs ready rolled puff pastry 
• Tub of freshly made cranberry sauce
• 1 Camembert for baking
• Pack of bacon lardons
• 1 beaten egg

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan assisted) line a baking tray with foil and grease the foil with some olive oil.  

In a small frying pan heat some oil and fry the bacon lardons until crisp.  Place one sheet of the pastry onto the baking tray.  Line up the Camembert in the middle of the sheet and spread the cranberry sauce around the cheese and place the bacon lardons on top.  Remove the cheese and place the second sheet of pastry on top of the first then place the Camembert back in the centre and cut around the base with a sharp knife.  Remove the pastry from  beneath the cheese and return the Camembert to the centre.  Make cuts across the top of the cheese just to break through the top layer of the skin.

Working around the cheese, using a sharp knife cut down from the centre to the edge of the pastry (start the cut about an inch from the cheese) leaving a gap of about two fingers between each cut.  Twist each piece of the cut pastry around in a spiral.  Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place into the oven for around 20 minutes until the pastry is nice and crisp and golden.

This recipe makes full use of the square of pastry, I don't like to waste unless really necessary, hence mine doesn't resemble the snowflake version that is doing the rounds. The end result is perfect for an informal buffet get together with friends and family and looks pretty stunning to boot.  Just tear off each segment of the pastry and dip into the molten gooey cheese and enjoy.