• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about Dom in the Kitchen
  • contact me
  • pr & demo’s
  • Private Dining

Dom in the Kitchen Homepage

Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

  • Home
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Eggs
  • Vegetarian
  • Everything else

asparagus, caramelised onion and cheddar tarts

15 May 2018 by Dominic Franks

asparagus tart

With the ‘year-round’ availability of most fruits and vegetables these days it’s hard to remember a time when you had to wait for your favourite food to come into season before you could eat it.  Of course there’s been a huge movement for a number of years back to a more sustainable, seasonally and locally sourced way of shopping and eating but we’ve come so far down the line of poly-tunnel planting that I can’t really imagine anyone gong back to a time when plump tomatoes or juicy strawberries aren’t available when and where you want them.  Of course as the consumer, we have the power to make the change.  Little choices in the food we buy can make a big difference down the chain… Take asparagus for instance.  Once was a time when asparagus was the most expensive item in a restaurant let alone the shopping basket.  It was seen as a luxury food and this was down to its narrow growing season and window of availability.  You can now pretty much get asparagus all year round but you’re paying for those airmails in more than one way and this is where we have a choice.  If you choose to eat British asparagus only when it’s available then you’re letting your supermarket know that asparagus flown thousands of miles from Peru is not acceptable.  It’s totally unnecessary. Plus it makes the eating of your asparagus so much more of a treat.  Something to look forward to.  Something to mark the seasons and surely there’s pleasure in that?

asparagus tart

asparagus, caramelised onion and cheddar tarts

this little tarts are a celebration of the season and they’re essentially a pastry vehicle to deliver glorious asparagus to my mouth!  I’ve made some homemade ruff puff pastry and we’re talking really very ruff puff here.  From thinking about making them to eating them was under two hours on a lazy Sunday.  With the ruff puff just remember to use cold, if not frozen butter, thickly grated and then instead of resting the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, pop it into the freezer for 15… It’s by no mean the most perfect or prettiest puff pastry but it tastes so good.  If used loads of really fresh herbs as I have them available outside in the garden and May is THE season for stunning soft and juicy fresh herbs. These are great for a light lunchtime snack or even a starter for a fancier meal.

for the ruff puff pastry

  • 250g plain flour
  • 250g very cold butter – coarsely grated
  • a little water to mix
  • extra flour for rolling

for the topping

  • 2 large white onions – halved top to tail and then very finely sliced into half rings
  • 14 aspargus spears
  • 50g very mature cheddar – finely grated
  • butter and olive oil
  • plenty of fresh herbs – I used thyme, lemon thyme and rosemary – finely chopped
  • 1 large free-range egg – beaten

start with the pastry by grating the butter into the flour in a large bowl – rub it in with your fingers like you would any normal pastry but don’t go to the breadcrumb stage – you want large pieces of butter – add a little cold water and use a clawed hand to mix and bring it together into a dough

flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a largish rectangle, then gate-fold the dough – which means folding the bottom half of the dough up to the middle and then folding the top of the dough down over this, then roll this out to a flat shape with your pin – wrap in cling film and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes.

repeat this rolling a folding at least 3 times more, then pop it back in the fridge

meanwhile (between the folding and rolling) caramelise your onions.  I use a large shallow casserole dish with a lid which I heat to a medium, add plenty of butter and a little olive oil, then add the onions, pepper and fresh herbs and a dash of sugar and let them sizzle away, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes or until they are all gorgeous and golden.  Once they’re nice and golden, lay the asparagus spears on top, turn the heat down to low and place the lid on the pan and let it all sweat for about 5 mins until the asparagus is beginning to soften – set this all aside

pre-heat the oven to 170C fan

roll out your pastry to accommodate 6 roughly evenly shaped oblongs (but don’t worry too much here) and then score the pastry into the 6 oblongs, then score roughly half a centimetre inside and outside each of these lines, so the whole thing looks like 6 tennis courts!

brush the whole thing with beaten egg then sprinkle with the cheddar, then lay the onions into the middle of each scored oblong followed by the asparagus

bake on a lined baking tray in the oven for roughly 25 minutes until the pastry is risen and gloriously golden

asparagus tart

eat and of course, enjoy!

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on E-mail

Filed Under: Vegetarian Tagged With: asparagus, caramelised onions, home cooking, pastry, pie, puff pastry, tart, vegetarian

Previous Post: « blueberry and orange zest victoria sponge
Next Post: dark chocolate and cherry frangipane tart »
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Primary Sidebar

About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Archives

Tweets by @DomInTheKitchen

as featured in Lincolnshire Life Magazine

Lincolnshire Life

creatively managed by

The Persuagers
Belleau Cottage

Footer

dominthekitchen

Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Pickled Pink Onions

I wanted to share the pics of this salad the moment I made it cos it’s just so vibrant and summery. 

The real star of the show are the amazing slightly pickled pink onions… but… (and I hate to be a tease) you’ll have to wait till next week for the recipe!

#salad #salads #tomatoes #feta #healthy #healthyfood #healthyeating #food #foodblogger #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #britainsbesthomecooks_
I love my garden for many reasons… #worldnakedg I love my garden for many reasons…

#worldnakedgardeningday2022 #garden #gardeninspiration #gardening #nakedgardeningday2022 #summer #muscles #gym
Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe be Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe below)

This pudding is like a bowlful of summer. It’s light and fruity and sweet and so easy to put together.  I think it’s also quite unexpected to serve a pudding when fresh fruit is in abundance and a simple fruit salad would suffice but that’s what I adore about this.  Plus, this pudding makes very good use of those punnet’s of strawberries that look great in the supermarket but in fact taste all spongy and gloopy when you get them home.

Here’s the #recipe:

🍓 200g butter
🍓 200g golden caster sugar
🍓 3 large free-range eggs
🍓 200g ground almonds
🍓 100g strawberries – quartered
🍓 4 apricots – sliced into wedges
🍓 the finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon
🍓 2 tablespoons @fage_uk Greek Yoghurt
🍓 1 teaspoon @little_pod Vanilla Bean Paste

I greased a 20cm fluted ceramic pie dish and pre-heated the oven to 160C

beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and creamy… a stand mixer will do this in 4 minutes, a hand held electric whisk will do it in 6 minutes and a wooden spoon will do it in 8 minutes.

add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of ground almonds and beat in, then add the rest of the ground almonds and gently beat in, followed by the Greek Yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla and half the strawberries and beat in – the strawberries will become mush – which is exactly what you want.

lay half the remaining fruit into the bottom of your dish and cover with the frangipane batter, then scatter the remaining fruit on top

bake for 45 mins or until darkly golden brown, then remove from the oven and let it cool to set

#pudding #summerfood #summer #strawberry #strawberries #apricot #frangipani #cake #cakesofinstagram #cakes #food #foodie #britainsbesthomecooks_
Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushro Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushrooms

Is there anything more ‘Sunday Brunch’ than a crispy rosti with a delicately fragile poached egg on top? This Traybake rosti is a twist on a Jewish potato cake made with potatoes, carrots and onion. It’s amazing and really does make the perfect brunch. 

What are you having for brunch today?

for the kugel:
🍳 5 medium potatoes
🍳 2 large onions
🍳 2 large carrots – roughly grated
🍳 2 eggs – beaten
🍳 2 tablespoons flour
🍳 salt and pepper
🍳 a large handful of fresh rosemary
🍳 2 tablespoons of olive oil

for the poached eggs:
🥚 2 eggs per person
🥚 water
🥚 salt
🥚 a ramekin or similar

pre-heat the oven to 180C and butter your baking tin… i’m using an oblong swiss roll tin but any metal pan will do, a quiche or tarte tin is good.  Earthenware will work too but there’s something about the metal tin that makes it more ‘roasty’

Cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks and par-boil till just beginning to yeald, drain and place in the fridge for one hour.  I usually do mine the night before.

Once the potatoes and carrots are cold, grate them and add them with the rest if the ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well.

Tip into your cake tin or roasting tray and roast in the oven on 190C till golden and grisp around the edges, roughly 40 mins

To make the poached eggs I prefer to use my large shallow cast-iron casserole dish.  There’s something about the cast-iron that holds the heat and cooks them evenly.  Fill the pan with water and heat it till it’s rapidly boiling, then turn down the heat until it is just steaming. 

Once it’s steadily hot with no bubbles lower the eggs into the hot water and leave them alone at this exact heat.  They should take about 5 minutes to become perfect with soft yolks but feel free to go until you like them.

#rosti #breakfast #brunch #sunday #eggs #poachedeggs #food #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #breakfastideas #britainsbesthomecooks_
Asparagus, Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Tart Cel Asparagus, Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Tart

Celebrating the start of the British asparagus season with these gorgeous ruff puff pastry tarts. So simple to make but so absolutely divine. 

#recipe on the website - link in bio

#asparagus #britishasparagus #tart #pastry #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #lunch #spring #seasonal #britainsbesthomecooks_ @britainsbesthomecooks_
Mini Creme Egg Bundts These little chocolate cak Mini Creme Egg Bundts 

These little chocolate cakes of joy have now become an Easter tradition. They’re totally adorable and I’ve heard they’re also the ONLY thing @ginge_et_tonic will eat during the festivities. 🤪

Thank gawd for @cadburyuk 

#recipe on my site - link in bio

#chocolate #easter #eastereggs #cremeegg #bundtcake #cakedecorating #cake #cakesofinstagram #britainsbesthomecooks_ @britainsbesthomecooks_
Load More… Follow on Instagram

&copy 2010 - 2021 | All rights reserved | Website by Peckish Digital