Asparagus is here and remember it’s a short season so make hte most of it with this gorgeous tart. It’s so simple to whip up and utterly delicious. 

Asparagus and mustard tart 

Serve 4-6 

• 2 bunches (or about 20) medium thickness asparagus spears
• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten with a fork
• 150g sour cream or crème fraiche
• ½ cup grated parmesan + extra to serve
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• ½ teaspoon sea salt + decent grind black pepper
• Drizzle of olive oil

1. Heat oven to 200 C.
2. Trim or snap the tough ends off the asparagus spears.
3. Line a tray with the pastry, twisting and pinching up the edges to form a rim if you need to. Brush the edges with the beaten egg.
4. Whisk together the sour cream (or crème fraiche) with Parmesan and mustard. Spread this over the pastry. Lay the trimmed asparagus on top, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over olive oil.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and cooked on the base too.
6. To serve, grind over some more pepper and grate over some Parmesan.

Nici’s Note: You could add chopped, crispy bacon or flakes of smoked salmon to this tart if you fancy it.