It's quite common for me to have people over for dinner, making food is always been part of my cultural identity and looking at people's face is often the best way to recognize if the food I spent hours making is actually worth the effort..
Well, when I have a dinner my mind goes crazy, I always want to surprise my guest, impress my date or simply enjoy the decadent pleasure of food indulgence. This tart is actually what I would call a 'blind bet', an experiment that can either turn into a masterpiece or into a complete disaster. Contrasts of flavors and colors have always intrigued me, and once I was deeply indulging in a gastronomic trip in Paris (you foodies please save up and go there, it's beyond magic), I saw -and purchased..- a strawberry and basil sweet tart and that was a real epiphany for my palate and eyes..I couldn't dare to ask the recipe, it was one of the oldest patisseries in town, but I couldn't stop thinking how I could have reinvent that feast of colors into a savory version of that little treasure.
I am a savory soul, and always try to bring sweet into savory and savory into sweet, so I kept thinking and obviously eating, until I bought some asparagus and strawberries, and couldn't resist to the temptation of mixing them together..Oh la la, the result was outstanding!!It took me more than one attempt to convince my friend to avoid the 'what the hell is this' face, but once they had a bite, well the rest was simply history!
In this post I will give you a template of basic quiche recipe, that is unfortunately not my own, and than the liquid filling to which you can add the mentioned ingredients or anything falls into your shopping chart.
Always remember: being creative means being brave!
Buon appetito!
Tart base ingredients:
50 gr almond meal
150 gr white flour
100 gr unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
Filling:
2 eggs
200 ml pouring cream
30 gr grated parmesan
salt and pepper
Top:
1 bunch asparagus boiled in hot water for 4 minutes and left in a bowl with ice
200 gr strawberries, sliced
Pastry:
Melt the butter, no microwave please!, and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Make a ball and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Filling:
Beat eggs, than add pouring cream, parmesan, salt and pepper.
Get the dough out of the fridge and roll it to 2 cm thick.
Use one of those quiche tins with wavy edges and cover it with baking paper. Line the dough and cut the edges. Press the pastry into the waves to have a better effect:)
Pour the liquid mixture and bake it at 180°for 15 minutes.
Only when the filling has reached a more solid - but not too hard- texture, get the tart out of the over and lay asparagus and strawberries.
Place again in the oven for 10 more minutes.
Cool down and enjoy!
TRICK TIME:
After many attempts, I realized that this procedure is the only one that guarantees the best final result, with a nicely cooked filling and well presented topping.
It took me I reckon 5 dinners before I got it right..
