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.