12 Sheets phyllo pastry
2 tb Butter
500 g Asparagus
1/2 c Milk
1/2 c Marscarpone cheese
2 Eggs
1/2 c Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 tb Chives
2 tb Parsley
1 tb Chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 ts Salt
Preheat oven to 210c.
Melt the butter and lightly brush a 20cm. deep pie plate or quiche
tin. Set aside.
Open the phyllo pastry on a flat work surface and brush a little
butter around the edges of 1 sheet, brushing a ‘zigzag’ of butter up
and down the sheet of pastry. Place another sheet on top and butter
as before. Fold these two sheets in half (so that you have a four
sheet depth) then place this in the prepared tin, hanging over the
edge slightly and covering part of the sides and base. Repeat with
the remaining sheets of pastry, buttering and folding as before and
placing in the tin until the base and sides are totally covered. Bake
in the oven for 10 minutes then allow to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 170c.
Trim the asparagus so that each spear is 7cm. long then slice all the
remaining offcuts of asparagus finely. Cook the asparagus spears in a
pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 4 minutes
then drain well on kitchen paper.
Mix together the milk, marscarpone cheese, eggs, cheese, chives,
parsley, tarragon and salt in bowl then season with pepper. Add the
finely sliced asparagus off-cuts and mix well.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of dry breadcrumbs over the base then pour the
cheese custard into the tin. Arrange the asparagus spears in a
circular fashion on top of the custard, tips towards the edge and
ends meeting in center.
Bake until tart puffs well and the top browns, about 35 minutes. Cool
slightly.
Yields
1 servings