This is a tarte tatin with asparagus and basil pesto. Normally pesto is not what I would put on a pie but this recipe is absolutely brilliant. It takes a bit of time to go through all the steps but not longer than one hour. When you make the pesto make sure to make a bit more so you have some spare for your pasta tomorrow. Same for the dough: if some of it is left just wrap it in plastic film and put it in the freezer. Like that you have something ready on days when you don’t have time to cook.
Time: 1 hour
for the pastry
150 g flour
75 g cold butter, cut in chunks very cold water as needed
a pinch of salt
for the topping
1/2 kg of green asparagus
1 handful basil
1 spoon of pine nuts
50 g parmesan
butter and some honey
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
- Put water to boil and preheat the oven at 180°
- Make the dough mixing quickly flour, butter, a pinch of salt and ice-cold water. Make sure that chunks of butter don’t completely melt in the dough. Wrap in plastic film and put in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
- Boil the asparagus till they are nearly soft but not quite cooked, drain them and plunge them immediately in icy water (this will keep the color light).
- Make a pesto genovese placing the basil, the pine nuts and the oil in a mixer (if you place the bowl of the mixer in the freezer for 30 minutes then the pesto will stay of a nice light green coulor). Mix until it becomes a soft sauce, then add the parmesan (if needed a bit more oil) and season with salt.
- Season the asparagus with a bit of salt, cut them lenghtwise, brush the interior of a round tart mold with butter and a little bit of honey. Place the asparagus on it next to each other, alternating cut-side up and cut-side down and then spread some pesto on it.
- Roll out the dogh and place it on the mold, tucking the edges down. With a knife, prick a few holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for about 20–30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crispy. Invert it on a serving plate and enjoy!