GOAT’S CHEESE AND NETTLE TART

This is Gill Meller’s wonderfully simple but flavoursome spring tart. It’s a great combination of crumbly pastry, earthy irony nettles and delicious smoky goat’s cheese. “April is one of the best months to pick nettles, while they are still young and tender. Take only the top four or six leaves of each plant. You’ll need gloves for picking and washing them, but their sting disappears as soon as you drop them in the hot water.”

Ingredients For the short crust

(in a 1 x 8” loose base tart case): 150g of butter

300g plain flour

Pinch of salt

About 150ml cold water

For the filling:

200g of picked washed nettle tips

1 large onion finely sliced

150g of smoked bacon lardons 100g Quicke’s Oak Smoked Goat’s Milk Clothbound Cheese Small knob of butter 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk 200ml double cream

50ml milk

Method

■

■ Place flour, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse to breadcrumb consistency. Add the water in a gradual stream; stop when the dough comes together. Turn out and knead the dough a couple of times, then wrap and chill in fridge for half an hour or so.

■ Pre-heat the oven to 170°c – remove pastry from fridge and allow to come to room temperature. Roll out to about 3mm thick and line your tart case. Leave the edges over hanging. Prick the base with a fork, line the case with parchment and baking beans, bake blind for about 20 mins then remove the beans and return to the oven for a further 10 – 12 minutes or until the base is just golden. Remove and trim away the over-hang.

■ Blanch the nettle tips in boiling water for 2 mins. Remove and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Squeeze out excess water then roughly chop.

■ Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, add bacon lardons, fry for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook stirring regularly until soft and golden. Add chopped nettles and season. Use your hands to evenly distribute the mix over the base of the tart case.

■ Whisk the whole eggs and yolk with the cream, milk and a third of the cheese. Season the custard to taste. Pour the custard over tart filling and bake straight away at 180c for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool before you eat.