An open puff pastry pie of seasonal greens, mint, chives and parsley with a creamy mascarpone base
Prep:25 mins
Serves 4 as a starter or 3 for lunch
250g rough puff pastry or use bought puff pastrylittle flour, for the tray1 egg, beaten2 tsp olive oil100g bacon lardon100g ricotta85g mascarponezest 1 lemon2 tbsp each snipped chives and chopped curly parsley1 tbsp chopped mint2 tbsp grated parmesanbunch asparagus, trimmed
STEP 1Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry to about 15 x 30cm, the thickness of a £1 coin, and trim the edges. Transfer to a lightly floured baking tray. Score a 1cm border, making sure you don’t go all the way through the base. Prick all over the base with a fork, brush the edges of the tart with beaten egg and bake for 15 mins.STEP 2Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the lardons until golden and crisp. Mix the ricotta, mascarpone, lemon zest, herbs and half the Parmesan in a bowl with salt and lots of black pepper.STEP 3Remove tray from the oven, squash down centre of the tart and spread with cheese mixture. Scatter over the bacon, reserving the oil. Place asparagus along length of the tart, alternating direction of the tips. Brush with a little bacon oil, scatter over the remaining Parmesan and bake for 20 mins more. Serve warm.
