ASPARAGUS SPRING GARDEN TART

Serves 4

● 375g (13oz) pack of ready-rolled puff pastry ● 6tbsp mascarpone

● 50g (1¾oz) Parmesan, finely grated

● Zest of 1 lemon

● 1 garlic clove, crushed

● 1tsp dried mixed herbs

● Salt and freshly ground black pepper

● 8-10 stems of fine asparagus

● 6 cherry tomatoes, halved

● 1 small orange sweet pepper, sliced into rings

● ½ a small red onion, sliced finely

● 2tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Remove the pastry from the fridge, then carefully unroll onto a large baking tray, using the paper it’s wrapped in to line the tray. Using a small sharp knife, score a line 3cm inside the edges of the pastry to make a rim to contain the mixture.

Mix the mascarpone with the Parmesan, lemon zest, garlic and dried herbs, season and spread the mixture evenly inside the border of the pastry.

Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, and arrange it on the top of the tart to look like trees; cut off bits of the stems to dot along the bottom edge as grass. Arrange the tomato halves and orange pepper rings between the stems as flowers, and scatter the red onion for more colour.

Brush all the vegetables with olive oil then bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Check a couple of times during baking and if the pastry has puffed up in the centre, pierce it with a skewer so that the pastry deflates.

Serve whole or cut into slices.