LIVINGLIVINGFOOD
NEWS
SCHOOL OF
THOUGHT
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year
the renowned Leiths School of Food
and Wine is presenting four new books.
Written by experts at the school, they are
the most up-to-date, comprehensive and
authoritative illustrated cookery books on
the market. The series includes How to
Cook Pastry, How to Cook Bread, How
to Cook Desserts and How to Cook
Cakes. They are published by Quadrille
and will cost £15 each. The easy-touse recipe
books covers a skill at the
heart of the Leiths cookery repertoire,
taking you through every aspect of the
dish's preparation and cooking. Each title
includes more than 70 recipes, carefully
chosen by the authors to highlight
contemporary dishes from cuisines
worldwide, as well as great classics with
a modern twist. The recipe featured here
is from How to Cook Pastry (you'll need
to get the book to see the recipe for the
pastry).
www.leiths.com
Asparagus, speck and pecorino tart (serves 4-6)
1 quantity rich herb shortcrust pastry
Extra flour, to dust
12 fine asparagus spears, or 6 thicker
spears
120g Pecorino (or Parmesan) cheese
5 slices of 6-month aged Speck
1 egg, plus 2 extra yolks
250ml double cream
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
A few chives, to finish
1 Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness and
use to line the loose-based rectangular flan tin. Cover with cling film and chill in
the fridge until firm to the touch, 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to
200°C/gas mark 6.
2 For the filling, bend the lower end of each asparagus stalk until it snaps, and
discard the lower woody ends. Trim the spears with a sharp knife so they are
all the same length. If the spears are thick, peel off the skin from the lower half
using a swivel peeler and cut them in half lengthways. Grate the Pecorino, tear
the Speck into large pieces and set aside.
3 Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 1
minute. Drain quickly and refresh under very cold water to stop the asparagus
cooking and to fix the vibrant green colour. Pat dry with kitchen paper and set
aside.
4 Place the flan tin on a baking sheet and blind bake the pastry case for 15-20
minutes (see page 20), then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5 minutes, or until the pastry looks dry and feels sandy to the touch. If it is
starting to take on colour, move it to a lower oven shelf. Remove from the oven
and reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/gas mark 2.
5 Put the whole egg, yolks and cream into a small bowl and mix well with a
fork, then pass through a sieve into a bowl. Add 80g of the grated Pecorino,
then taste and season with salt and white pepper (bearing in mind that Speck
and Pecorino are both quite salty).
6 Pour the egg, cream and cheese mixture into the tart case. Arrange the
pieces of Speck in an even pattern on top, leaving enough room for the
asparagus spears. Place the asparagus spears in between the pieces of ham
and scatter over the remaining Pecorino.
7 Carefully transfer to the lower third of the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes
until the custard is pale yellow and just a little soft in the centre. To check, give
the tart a little shake; there should be no violent wobble in the centre. (An overcooked filling will rise up and feel springy to the touch.)
8 Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet, then
remove the tart from the tin and slide onto a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or
at room temperature. Just before serving, finely chop enough chives to give
about 1 tbsp, and sprinkle them over the top of the tart.