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Daz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz |
It's that time of the year again: Melbourne Cup, Guy Fawkes, office parties, leading us all into the silly season.
Asparagus is in season now about the same time as the party season (October till December) and the question of what to do with this wonderful vegetable springs to mind.
One savoury that always goes down well as a party nibble is asparagus custard tarts, they require a bit of effort, but are well worth it. Asparagus grown in the warmer areas of New Zealand tends to be a lot thinner than the ones from further south. Because the colder climate slows the shoots, south island asparagus is reputed to have more flavour and from past experience I would agree.
Whereever you get your asparagus from, remember to snap then rather than cut them where the woody stem meets the green. This snapping technique ensures you get tender asparagus. Some people prefer to eat the tips rather than the rest of the stalk. With this recipe you can enjoy the whole of the asparagus.
Asparagus custard tarts
Makes approximately a dozen.
Ingredients
2 bunches fresh asparagus spears (about 350g)
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 fresh nutmeg
1 small onion
Salt and pepper
4 egg yokes and 1 whole egg
1 pkt of savoury short pastry
100 grams parmesan powder
Juice from lemon
30g of butter
Method
After snapping asparagus, chop usable pieces up and reserve the tips for decoration. Start cooking the rest of the pieces in a pot with the butter, saute well till they start to break down. Stirring occasionally, add can of evaporated milk, grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer until tender, being careful not to burn on bottom of pot. Transfer to a blender and blitz adding egg yoke and whole egg. Cut circles from pastry sheets and press into parmesan then powder both sides and place into a well greased muffin tin to form tart cases. Blanch remaining garnish tips in boiling water then squeeze lemon juice over them, place in place in tart cases, then pour on green asparagus custard mix. Bake at 230-250 degrees for 20 minutes until they have browned. Remove from muffin pan while still warm, serve while still warm or you can eat them cold – great as a snack food or even a entree for a dinner party.