{Asparagus, puff pastry, by Nigel Slater}

Six little tarts, light as a summer breeze.
Makes half a dozen small tarts.

8 asparagus spears
250g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
150g goat’s cheese
150g cream cheese
1tsp fresh thyme leaves

1) Set the oven at 200 Celsius/gas 6. Put an upturned baking sheet in the oven.

2) Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Trim the asparagus, then cut each spear into three short lengths. Drop the asparagus into the pan and let it boil for 2 minutes, before lifting out with a draining spoon and refreshing in iced water.

3) Roll the pastry out to a rectangle measuring 34cm by 22cm. Cut the rectangle into 6 equal squares. Place the squares on a lined baking sheet. Using the tip of a knife, score a smaller square 1cm in from the edges of each piece of pastry. Brush a little beaten egg around the outside square of each piece of pastry.

4) Drain the asparagus on kitchen paper.

5) Crush the goat’s cheese with a fork and fold in the cream cheese and thyme. Divide the mixture between the 6 squares of pastry and put 4 asparagus pieces on each.

6) Put the baking sheet on top of the preheated sheet already in the oven, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tarts are golden. Eat immediately.

Source: www.irishtimes.com

{Tarta de brócoli con queso azul, queso sardo y queso de cabra}

En el mercado

- Para la masa

200 g harina 0000
100 g de manteca
Agua helada
Sal
1/2 tapita de cognac
1 cucharada de mix de especias e hierbas

- Para el relleno

Brócoli, 1 paquete
Queso de cabra 70 grs
Queso azul, 70 grs
Queso rallado, 4 cdas soperas
Crema 0 %, 1/2 pote
Salsa blanca ligera, 1 taza
Huevos, 2
Avena ultrafina, 4 cdas soperas

En la cocina

1) Sacar la masa de la heladera (la habíamos dejado para que descansara), la estiramos con el palote y forramos la tartera (esta medida es para una tarta mediana, de no más de 23/25 cm de diámetro).
Espolvoreamos con avena arrollada, le colocamos fetas finas del queso de cabra y la dejamos en la heladera un rato más.
Cocinamos el brócoli al vapor pero a punto. No recocido porque no queda bien. Tiene que tener cierta dureza al morderlo.
Mientras pisamos el queso azúl y lo revolvemos bien para volverlo cremoso, le agregamos los huevos y batimos muy bien con batidor.
Luego le agregamos la crema cero por ciento y la salsa blanca. Yo sólo agregué una pizca de nuez moscada, porque el queso ya es suficientemente salado.
Sacamos la tarta de la heladera, disponemos las flores de brócoli sobre la base y echamos encima la mezcla anterior. Llevamos a horno fuerte, en la parte inferior, por 30 minutos.

Fuente: https://recetas.lanacion.com.ar

{Choux buns filled with goats’ cheese, toasted walnuts and caramelised red onions}

By Ruby Tandoh Ruby Tandoh
From The Great British Bake Off
Vegetarian
1-2 hours
preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour
cooking time
Makes about 15

Choux buns make wonderful party canapés and you won’t be disappointed by this recipe. Vary it by using a different type of cheese or nut for the filling.
Equipment and preparation: you will need a piping bag, a 1cm/½in plain nozzle and a wide star nozzle.

Ingredients

For the choux buns

50g/1¾oz butter, softened
65g/2¼oz plain flour
2 large free-range eggs
salt

For the caramelised red onions

2 large red onions, sliced
50g/1¾oz caster sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt
1 bay leaf
½ tsp dried chilli flakes

For the filling

120ml/4fl oz double cream
200g/7oz soft goats’ cheese (soft-textured rather than waxy)

To finish

100g/3½oz shelled walnuts, chopped and toasted
50g/1¾oz rocket

Preparation method

For the choux buns, preheat the oven to 220C/fan oven 200C/425F/Gas 7. Grease and line a baking tray.

Technique: How to make choux pastry

How to make choux pastry

Watch technique
1:10 mins

Heat 150ml/5fl oz water in a saucepan. Add the softened butter in small pieces and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
When the butter has melted, add the flour to the mixture all at once and beat continuously until the mixture is thick and smooth. Continue to beat until the dough comes away cleanly from the sides of the pan.
Remove the dough from the pan and place in a bowl to cool.
When the dough is cool, beat the eggs in a clean bowl with a fork. Gradually add the beaten egg mixture to the dough, a bit at a time, mixing well between each addition; the mixture should now be at dropping consistency, but still firm enough to be piped in a piping bag. (You may not need to use all of the beaten egg.)
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in plain nozzle. Pipe the pastry into small circles of about 5cm/2in on the prepared baking tray.
Bake for 10-15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 190C/fan oven 170C/375F/Gas 5 and cook for a further 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden-brown and dry. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the caramelised red onions, place all the ingredients into a pan and cook for 20 minutes over a low heat. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
For the filling, stir the cream into the goats’ cheese in a bowl. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a wide star nozzle.
Cut each choux bun in half and pipe the goats’ cheese on top of each halved choux bun. Add a teaspoon of onion and top with a walnut and a little rocket.
Top recipe tip
Keep any leftover caramelised red onions in the fridge and use as a condiment.
Required techniques

Fuente: www.bbc.co.uk