Asparagus and Pecorino Tart

This deliciously crisp tart is a fantastic way to enjoy British asparagus which is right in season now. With buttery pastry and vibrant asparagus, topped with nutty, salty pecorino, it’s perfect for a light lunch with a salad or cut up in smaller pieces to serve to guests as a canapé.

Ready in 30 minutes with just 5 minutes prep, it is so much easier than making a quiche and just as delicious.

Serves: 6 as a starter or 16 as a canapé

Prep time: 5 minutes

Chill time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 x 320g sheet of puff pastry

180g British asparagus spears

60g Pecorino cheese, finely grated

Milk to brush the pastry

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200c/190c Fan.

Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

Take your pastry out the fridge and leave it to warm up for 5 - 10 minutes, then unroll it and place it on the baking tray. If you try to unroll it straight from the fridge, it will crack.

Use a sharp knife to lightly score a rectangle an inch inside the pastry edge, then score inside the rectangle with a criss cross diamond pattern. Be careful not to go through the pastry.

Sprinkle two thirds of the cheese within this rectangle on your pastry, leaving the edge clean. Trim the ends off the asparagus, so the pieces fit the pastry rectangle widthways, then place them at regular intervals on top of the cheese.

Finish by sprinkling over the rest of the Pecorino and season with a few grinds of the black pepper. I am not using salt on this tart as Pecorino is a very salty cheese.

Place on a shelf in the top two thirds of the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes. The tart is ready when the edges are crisp and brown and the centre under the asparagus has started to take on some colour.

When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.