Ingredients
Sweet pastry cases
- 1 ½ eggs, beaten and chilled
- 500g plain flour
- 50g glucose syrup
- 250g unsalted butter, diced and well chilled
- 200g icing sugar
White chocolate and asparagus tart filling
- 250ml double cream
- 350g English asparagus, finely sliced (n.b. you can use stalks and is a good way of using up trimmings)
- 420g white chocolate
- Mascarpone to finish
Method
Sweet pastry cases
- Sieve flour and icing sugar into food processor bowl, then add glucose and butter. Blitz until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs then gradually add beaten egg until mix comes together.
- Remove from bowl, wrap and chill for at least two hours before rolling.
- Preheat oven to 180°c. Roll the pastry out onto a floured work surface to approximately 3mm thick, then use a 90-100mm cutter to cut out the discs for the individual tart rings (80mm diameter, depth of 10mm). Press the pastry into the pre-greased tart rings then chill for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Blind bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the tart to cool before filling.
- Alternatively you could line one 25cm flan ring and make one large tart.
White chocolate and asparagus tart filling
- Place the cream and the sliced asparagus into a heavy based pan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a pan over some simmering water, ensuring the water is not in contact with the bowl.
- When the cream has reached boiling point and the asparagus has softened, pass the cream through a fine sieve and squeeze out any leftover moisture using a ladle.
- Combine the melted white chocolate and the asparagus cream and mix well before pouring into the pastry cases. Chill for two hours before serving.
- Finish with a quenelle of mascarpone and a chocolate shaving.