Friday 13 December 2013

Hot Soured Cream Dip


A friend of mine told me yesterday about the tomato butter he makes and when I found today that I'd run out of harissa to mix into some soured cream, I fell back on his recipe.

150 ml soured cream or crème fraîche
1 heaped tbs tomato puree
tabasco
1 clove of garlic, crushed
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Mix and spread on crisp bread, serve with crudités, roast root vegetables, fish, barbecued meat, and and and :)

Thursday 12 December 2013

Hot garlicky, chili and herb kind of pesto but not really pesto

Cooking for one is never much fun but sometimes there's noone else to have dinner with and I refuse to eat ready meals. Tonight is one of those nights. The fridge is full of veggies. I love making things in the oven. But instead of adding chili, garlic and oil to the roasting tray I made this "kind of pesto".

1 whole bulb garlic - yes, that is a lot of garlic!
1 small onion
1 small medium red chili
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
a handful of basil leaves

Blitz. Done. Use for all sorts of things. Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge.

I drizzled some over a tray of veg and served them with pasta.


Sunday 24 November 2013

Hazelnutty Salad

Yesterday, I bought hazelnut oil for the first time and of course had to try it out straight away. I used a bag of winter baby leaves, chopped toasted hazelnuts and a very simple dressing. I found I'd made too much dressing so I covered the remainder with cling film and stuck it in the fridge.

1 bag of baby leaf lettuce
chopped toasted hazelnuts
Herbamare organic herb salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp organic balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp hazelnut oil
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Soup of Jerusalem Artichokes with Nutmeg


Earlier this week, I bought a kilo of Jerusalem artichokes, half of which I roasted in the oven (halved lengthways) and served with for another dish. From the remainder I made this delicious soup that'll serve 4-5 as a starter or 2-3 as a light lunch.

500 g Jerusalem artichokes, unpeeled
1/2 a thin leek
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 small onion
1 bay leaf
1 l vegetable stock
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
extra virgin olive oil
crème fraîche for serving

Peel the onion but leave whole. Trim the leek and celery, trim and peel the carrot. Chop into 5 cm/ 2 inch pieces. Wash the Jerusalem artichokes really well if like mine they're really dirty. Cut into 1 cm/ 1/2 inch slices.

Heat the olive oil, add all the veg and mix until they're coated with a little oil. Season with pepper and salt. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer for approx. 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Remove the onion and bay leaf. Blitz, check the seasoning and grate in some nutmeg. Stir and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Monday 4 November 2013

Vegetable Soup with Chicken Stock, Red Lentils and Coriander



This soup can be made with vegetable or chicken stock. I made it with chicken stock I prepared with the left-overs of a roast chicken, the woody bits of asparagus and a few more bits and pieces.

Chicken Stock


bones of an organic or free range roast chicken (including any bits of meat that won't come off, the garlic cloves I'd stuffed inside and the cooled olive oil still clinging to the carcass)
1/4 leek
1 small onion
10 g fresh thyme
the woody bits from 750 g green asparagus
250-300 g carrots
1 tsp black pepper corns
3 cloves
1.8 l boiling water

Peel the onion and stud it with the cloves. Slice the leek and dice the carrots. Place all ingredients into a large saucepan, add the water and boil with the lid closed for  about 45 minutes.

Drain through a sieve and squeeze out the vegetables. Discard the bones and vegetables once they have cooled off.

I don't add salt when I make home-made stocks, so I can use them with any recipe, even if I use lardons, pancetta and the like.

This stock is relatively bland and not suitable to enjoy on its own. The soup itself has a delicate chicken flavour, which I prefer. The stock is also great for risotto.

 

Vegetable Soup with Red Lentils and Coriander


1 medium onion
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2-1 red chilis
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 1/2 bunches of spring onions
3/4 leek
500 g carrots
1 large parsnip
2 large handfuls of red lentils
1 bunch of fresh coriander
20 g butter
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1,5 l chicken stock

Finely chop the onion, garlic and chilli, thinly slice the spring onions (which I used because they were almost past it) and leek and sauté all these ingredients in the butter.

Dice the carrots and parsnip and add to the above. Season with pepper and salt and add the stock. Lastly, pour in the lentils. Bring to the boild and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Optionally blitz with a handheld blender and check the seasoning. Chop the coridander and stir into the soup.

I like to serve this with a dollop of harissa-flavoured soured cream.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Harissa Dip

150 ml soured cream, crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt
1-2 tsp harissa

Mix and enjoy. This is great as a dip, on crisp bread or crackers, in soup, with steamed vegetables, roast vegetables, roast chicken, couscous....

Monday 28 October 2013

Chocolate Cake (gluten free)

When I saw this recipe on Éva's blog Emil und die großen Schwestern, I had to try it straight away as it seemed so simple. Thanks Éva for allowing me to add it to this recipe collection.

Éva suggests reducing the amount of sugar for a more chocolatey taste. The amount and type of sugar in brackets is what I used. I've added a pinch of salt because it brings out the taste of chocolate.

With regards to the different types of sugar, I have to admit I've not tried it with white sugar because I never have it in the house. Both the unrefined and the moscovado lead to stunning results, the unrefinded giving a caramel flavour and the moscovado making the cake even richer in flavour and adding a treacly, toffee-like flavour. Absolutely wonderful!

6 eggs
200 g fine sugar or 150 g fine unrefined, brown sugar or 150 g moscovado
125 unsalted soft butter plus a bit extra for greasing the tin
pinch of salt
250 g chocolate with at least 70% of cocoa solids
cocoa powder or icing sugar for dusting
soured cream or Greek yoghurt  and a handful of raspberries, if they're in season, for serving

Separate 4 of the eggs and place the egg white and yolk into two mixing bowls. Beat the egg yolk with 100 g/75 g of sugar until creamy. Add the butter and the two remaining eggs and beat until all the ingredients are combined.

Melt the chocolate in a bain marie, add the salt and mix with the batter stirring continuously.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then beat in the remaining 100 g/75 g of sugar. Carefully fold into the chocolate mix.

Pour the cake mix into a greased 25-30 cm flan dish. Bake in the oven at 175° C/gas mark 4 for 40-45 minutes. Do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes. To prevent the cake from drying out avoid fan-assisted oven/setting. The cake is meant to crack on top while baking.

Dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar.

Variations:
Try adding chili flakes, rosemary, lavender, xmas spices or similar to vary.

I have tried fresh raspberries and fresh blueberries which I scattered over the top and pressed down with my finger. The didn't sink to the bottom of the cake. And with the blueberries, I used moscovado sugar. OMG! It was unbelievably delicious. Maybe too rich. Next attempt: Half and half, i. e. moscovado sugar in the pastry, light brown sugar with the egg white.

August 2014: Two chocolate cakes with moscovado sugar and fresh blueberries.
They looked so good I didn't bother dusting them with cocoa.

Monday 15 July 2013

Marinated aubergines


Thinly slice an aubergine and brush both sides with elderflower oil. Brown in a frying pan (in batches if necessary). Season with pepper and salt and place into a baking try. Bake at 200 °C for about 15 minutes or until the aubergine slices are soft. Remove from the tray, leave to cool. Then place into a shallow bowl folding the aubergine slices in half. Dress with a mixture of the juice of 1/2 lime, pepper, salt and 1/2 tsp manuka honey. Scatter a handful of mixed herbs (mint, lemon balm, basil, parsley, coriander, thyme) over the top. Gorgeous with any barbecued food.

It keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just remove what you need, let it come to room temperature and enjoy.

Elderflower Infused Vinegar

This, too, is a recipe based on Éva's ideas: elderflower vinegar. I used sherry vinegar and white balsamic and placed a disk of greaseproof paper on top of the jar to make sure none of the flowers were poking out and potentially going mouldy. Strain after 3-4 weeks of marinating.


Elderflower Infused Oil



I made this for the first time this year after reading about this oil in Éva's blog and I'm afraid you may have to wait till next year to pick elderflowers but it'll be so worth it!

Cram as many elderflower tufts into a mason jar and fill with a cold pressed oil of you choice. I decided on extra-virgin olive oil, which has quite a strong flavour by itself. Leave for about three weeks, then drain and put into sterilsed bottles. Even the strong olive oil ended up with a delicate flowery flavour. Next year I'm going to try cold pressed sunflower and rape seed oil, too.


Friday 5 July 2013

Leek and Pear Filo Tart


When I read about a quiche/tart recipe with leek and pear in Fee's blog, I knew I had to try this combo. But you know me I always have to put my own twist on things. And since I've wanted to try a tarte/quice using filo pastry for ages, I was going to try it with this recipe.

(serves 4-6)

250 g filo pastry
250 g semi-skimmed organic milk
2 whole organic eggs
3 organic egg yolks
2 heaped tbsp soured cream
100 g pancetta
1 leek
1/2 abate pear or 1 conference pear
1/2 roll of goats cheese (75 g)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
50 - 60 g butter

Do all the prep work first: Finely slice the leek and pear, chop the pancetta. Mix milk, eggs, egg yolks and soured cream and season with pepper, a little salt and nutmeg. Thinly slice the goats cheese, then cut the slices in half. Melt the butter without browing it. This is for brushing the filo pastry.

Heat a tiny amount of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the leek and pancetta until the pancetta starts to brown and the leek starts to soften. Add the sliced pear and cook till lightly brown. Take of the heat and set aside.

Lightly brush the first two sheets of filo with melted butter and place side by side on a rectangular baking sheet, so they overlap but also extend over the sides. At the end, we'll crunch up the overhang to form wonderful crust. Carry on brushing and layering the filo pastry two sheets at the time.

Spread the leek, pear and pancetta mix evenly onto the pastry. Season with a touch of pepper. Add the goats cheese and pour on the egg mix. Scrunch up the overhanging pastry and give it one last brush with melted butter.

In a preheated oven, bake at 200 °C/gas mark 5 for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold with a crunchy green salad.

I dressed my cut and come again salad from the garden with my favourite vinaigrette and added the other half of the pear.



Pea and Lime Risotto

It's so great to find fresh peas in the shops again and this is one of the first dishes of the season I used them for.



2 handfuls of fresh peas
750 ml vegetable or chicken stock
150 ml dry white wine
200 g arborio rice
1/2 red onion
2 garlic cloves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
20 g herb and garlic butter
50 g freshly grated parmesan
juice of 1 lime
extra virgin olive oil

Blanch the peas for 3 minutes in boiling salted water, then drain and set aside. Finely chop the onion and garlic.

For the risotto, heat some olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes at a low heat until tender but not browned.

Add the rice and keep stirring until the rice starts to become translucent. Then add the wine. Keep stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Now start adding the hot stock a ladle at the time. Over a medium heat keep stirring the whole time. After about 15-20 minutes check if the rice is done. If you like make it al dente. Now turn off the heat and add the peas.

Next, add the lime juice, parmesan and garlic and herb butter. Mix carefully, cover and leave for a couple of minutes. This is how it becomes so wonderfully creamy. Serve immediately sprinkled with parmesan.

Sunday 23 June 2013

Summer Vegetable Stock


When I made herb and garlic today, I had lots of stalks from the herbs left and didn't want just throw them out. There were also other items in the fridge that need to be used somehow, e. g. asparagus stalks and a couple of overripe tomatoes. I've no idea how this stock will taste but I'm sure it'll be lovely. ;)

Makes 1.75 l of stock.

the woody parts of 500 g of green asparagus
stalks of a selection of herbs, in this case from a couple of handfuls of flat leaf parsley, coriander, dill, fennel and thyme
3 carrots
3 fennel sticks
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 whole-bulb garlic
1 tsp back pepper corns
1.5 l boiling water

Coarsely chop all the ingredients, place in a saucepan. Add the pepper corns and boiling water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for approx. 45 minutes until the carrots are tender. Drain and squeeze as much of the goodness out of the vegetables before discarding them.

If you want to do this more quickly, coarsely great all the vegetables. That way your stock is ready in 15-20 minutes.

Incidentally, I didn't forget to list salt. I prefer to add salt as needed depending on what I use the stock for and the ingredients added.

Garlic and Herb Butter


For some reason or other, my other half bought two 250 g packets of butter the other day. We needed to stock up on butter but ususally struggle to eat even on packet by its use-by-date. Instead of freezing some I decided to upgrade them first. The recipe for the tomato butter is here.

And because the herbs were from the garden I had lots of stalks left, I decided to make a summer vegetable stock as well.

Flavoured butter is wonderful to make garlic bread, use with barbecued food or simply spread on fresh bread or rolls. My favourite use for herb butter is on a rare steak, straight from the 70's. ;)

250 g unsalted organic butter, at room temperature
a couple of handfuls of fresh herbs, in this case flat leaf parsley, coriander, dill, fennel and thyme from the garden
1 whole-bulb garlic
freshly grated black pepper
sea salt

You can make this in a food processor buy adding the coarsely chopped herbs, garlic, pepper and salt to the utter and blizzing the ingredients into a smooth creamy paste.

If you haven't one of those, simply place the butter on a board and use a fork to spread it out a bit. Season with pepper and salt. Finely chop the herbs, crush the garlic and scatter onto the butter. Using a fork work everything into a paste.

To freeze, tear off a piece of cling film, place the herb butter on top. Bring in the longer sides and roll into a sausage. Twist the ends, cover in tin foil and put into the freezer. You can then cut off the amount you need in slices, which will defrost really quickly.

Tomato Butter


Here's the second recipe I made with the mountain of butter my other half bought this week. The recipe for the herb and garlic butter is here.

125 g unsalted organic butter, at room temperature
3 garlic cloves garlic
freshly grated black pepper
sea salt
2 dried chillis
5 sundried tomatoes

You can make this in a food processor buy adding coarsely chopped the tomatoes and garlic, pepper and salt to the butter and blizzing the ingredients into a smooth creamy paste.

If you haven't one of those, simply place the butter on a board and use a fork to spread it out a bit. Season with pepper and salt. Finely chop the tomatoes, crush the garlic and scatter onto the butter. Using a fork work everything into a paste.

To freeze, tear off a piece of cling film, place the herb butter on top. Bring in the longer sides and roll into a sausage. Twist the ends, cover in tin foil and put into the freezer. You can then cut off the amount you need in slices, which will defrost really quickly.

Sunday 12 May 2013

Sorrel Pesto




Readers of this blog know that I love pesto. I try all different kinds of ingredients and so far they've all turned out to be extremely tasty. Yesterday, I spent some me time having one of my weekend cookathons during which I prepared three different kinds of wild flower pesto: sorrel pesto, ground elder and dandelion blossom pesto.

2 large handfuls of sorrel leaves
1 small handful of freshly grated parmesan
1 small handful of roasted cashew nuts, chopped
1 garlic clove, squashed
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil as needed

Wash the sorrel, spin and combine with all the ingredients in a food processor or the beaker of a handheld mixer and blitz. Transfer into sterilised screw-top jars, top up with olive oil to seal and screw on the lid.

Dandelion Blossom Pesto

Readers of this blog know that I love pesto. I try all different kinds of ingredients and so far they've all turned out to be extremely tasty. Yesterday, I spent some me time having one of my weekend cookathons during which I prepared three different kinds of wild flower pesto, dandelion pesto, ground elder and sorrel pesto.


500 g dandelion flowers
1 small handful of freshly grated parmesan
15 roasted Brazil nuts, chopped
1 garlic clove, squashed
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil as needed

Wash the dandelions, spin and fry in olive oil for about 5 min. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or the beaker of a handheld mixer and blitz. The amount of olive oil depends on how runny you want the pesto to be. I prefer it to be quite thick rather than excessively oily. 


Transfer into sterilised screw-top jars, top up with olive oil to seal and screw on the lid. The ingredients above resulted in approx. 600 ml of pesto. This pesto is quite rich so you need less of it than of other herb-based pesto varieties.


As one jar was only half full, we at it that night with spaghetti and scattered some more freshly ground parmesan and a few ground ivy blossoms over the top. It was to die for!

Ground Elder Pesto



Readers of this blog know that I love pesto. I try all different kinds of ingredients and so far they've all turned out to be extremely tasty. Yesterday, I spent some me time having one of my weekend cookathons during which I prepared three different kinds of wild flower pesto: ground elder pesto, sorrel pesto and dandelion blossom pesto.

2 large handfuls of ground elder
1 small handful of freshly grated parmesan
1 small handful of whole almonds, chopped
1 garlic clove, squashed
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil as needed

Wash the ground elder, spin and combine with all the ingredients in a food processor or the beaker of a handheld mixer and blitz. Transfer into sterilised screw-top jars, top up with olive oil to seal and screw on the lid.

Asparagus and Nettle Soup



As you'll have noticed from my other posts this spring, I've discovered foraging and am loving it. So there's a second idea for a nettle soup.

250 g nettle tops (top four leaves)
300 g green asparugs
3 shalots
1 garlic clove
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
freshly ground nutmeg
1 l vegetable soup
150 ml soured cream
1-2 heaped tsp. flour
olive oil


If you like, fry a handful of the nettles, dry them on paper towel, lightly salt them and scatter them over the soup when serving.


Wash and spin the nettles. Bend the asparagus spears so they break at the woody part, wash and set aside. Cut the remaining asparagus into 1 cm pieces. Finely chop the shalots and garlic.

Heat some oil in a saucepan, sauté the shalots and garlic for  2 minute, mix in the asparagus, then add the nettles. Mix together, season with pepper and salt. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Place the asparagus tips into the inset of a steamer, close the lid and simmer the soup for 5 minutes. Place the asparagus tips on a plate to prevent further cooking. Blitz the soup. Dissolve some flower in a little cold water, add to the soup and bring briefly to the boil to thicken. Season with nutmeg, add the cream and check the seasoning. Divide into portions and add the asparagus tops. 

Monday 22 April 2013

Wildflower Bruschetta



Yesterday, we went for a walk and I was determined to do some foraging and prepare something wild for our Sunday dinner. And I was successful. We found nettles in abundance but also dandelion flowers, coltsfoot and daisies and were looking forward to a wild feast. Apart from the bruschetta I also made nettle soup and nettle risotto.


When we got home, we were really hungry and it was still nice in the garden so I quickly prepared some bruschetta with the wildflowers.
(serves 2)

4 slices of ciabatta
a large handful of dandelion flowers and buds
4 coltsfoot stems (that's all I found)
a few small vine tomatoes
a small handful of daisies
1 garlic clove
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Wash each type of flowers separately and spin. Peel the garlic clove. Toast the ciabatta. In the meantime, heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the dandelion and coltsfoot for about 3 minutes and season with pepper und salt. Half the tomatoes and season with a little salt to bring out the flavor. Place in a bowl and scatter a few daisies on top.



Rub the toasted ciabatta slices with garlic, divide the fried flowers among them, scatter the remaining daisies over the top and enjoy – outdoors if possible.

Nettle Soup


The second dish I prepared with our foraged food was a nettle soup for Monday lunch.

(serves 4)

500 g stinging nettles
750 ml vegetable stock
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
extra virgin olive oil
150 ml soured cream


Using tongs, place the nettles into a collander and wash well. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan. Finely chop the onion and garlic, add to the saucepan and sautée for about 5 minutes. Add the nettles and mix with the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes before adding the stock. Bring to the boil, season with pepper, salt and nutmeg and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and purée. Check the seasoning, then add the soured cream and serve.

For a slightly more substantial soup, add a handful of breadcrumbs along with the stock.

Nettle Risotto

The third dish I cooked with our foraged food was a nettle risotto based on a recipe from Giorgio Locatelli's fabulous cookbook „Made in Italy, Food & Stories“.


(serves 2)

2 handfuls of young stinging nettles
750 ml vegetable stock
150 ml dry white wine
200 g arborio rice
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
extra virgin olive oil

Wash the nettles and blanch for 30 seconds in boiling salted water, then drain. Keep a few leaves back and purée the rest. Set aside. Finely chop the onion and garlic.


Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic and celery over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until soften but not brown. Add the rice and keep stirring until it becomes transparent. From here the risotto takes about 15-20 minutes. Now add the wine. Keep stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Then add the stock a ladle full at a time.

After 10 minutes add the puréed nettles and season with some nutmeg. When the rice is to your liking (al dente or just cooked) remove from the heat, season with pepper and (if required) salt. Stir in the parmesan and a glug of olive oil. Cover and rest for 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately scattered with parmesan and the left-over cooked nettle leaves.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Soured Cream and Dill Dip

The salad dressing for this salad was so good I converted it into a dip/sauce to be served with bread, crudités, meat, fish, roasted and BBQ'd vegetables. And it takes only a couple of minutes to prepare.

150 ml soured cream
1 heaped tsp German mustard
1 bunch fresh Dill
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Fresh Dill


1 cucumber
300 g small vine tomatoes
150 ml soured cream
1 heaped tsp German mustard
1 bunch fresh Dill
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Optionally peel the cucumber. Cut in half and cut the halves again lengthways. Using a teaspoon scoop out the seeds. Cut into 5 mm thick slices and place into a bowl. Quarter the tomatoes and add to the bowl.

Make the dressing and finely chop the dill. Combine and dress the salad. If possible leave to marinate at room temperature for 15 - 30 minutes.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Refreshing Fennel Salad with Dill

I love fennel both sautéd, roasted and raw with dips or in a salad. This is a real summer salad to be served in the garden with a BBQ or a summer lunch. I made it yesterday evening and pretended it wasn't still far too cold for the time of year. And it almost worked. ;)

3 small fennel bulbs
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch Dill
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Trim the top and bottom of the fennel bulbs und cut lengthways along the narrow side of the bulb into 2 mm slices. This way the slices hold together. Scatter in a large bowl. Make the dressing using about 3 to 4 times as much olive oil as lime and lemon juice. Dress the fennel and mix through. Leave for at least half an hour.

Before serving, finely chop the dill and scatter over the fennel salad.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Flammkuchen with Green Asparagus


I've wanted to try out Flammkuchen for a very long time but never had all the necessary ingredients in the house at the same time. During last week's trip to the supermarket I finally remembered to buy some read-made pastry, both filo and puff pastry. Though I generally avoid ready-made products, both these types of pastry are too time-consuming to make at home unless it's a special occasion. And with the puff pastry I opted for the all butter variety so it contains no margarine, no palm oil, no hydrogenated fat etc.

This serves 3-4 people. We ate it with a salad made with oak leaf lettuce, sautéd pear and mushrooms and buffalo mozzarela.

350 g packet of ready-rolled puff pastry
300 ml crème fraîche
1 bunch of flat leaf parseley
300-400 g green asparagus
1 handful of freshly grated parmesan
olive oil
1 garlic clove
nutmeg
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Start by heating a griddle pan without oil for about 5 minutes until it is screaming hot. Meanwhile prepare the asparagus by bending each spear until it snaps. Discard the woody bits or set aside to use in a vegetable stock. Slice the asparagus lengthways, drizzle with a little olive oil and toss to lightly coat all the asparagus. Using tongs place in the griddle pan and cook until the asparagus is lightly charred.


2. While the asparagus is cooking place the puff pastry onto a baking tray. My pastry was ready-rolled on a sheet of grease-proof paper and could be placed straight onto a baking tray.

3. Chop the parsley, grate the parmessan and combine with the crème fraîche. Season with pepper and salt and a little freshly grated nutmeg.  Spread onto the puff pastry. Add the asparagus, season with a touch more pepper and salt if desired. Bake at 200° C for 20-30 minutes. Tastes best served hot.