Wensleydale Tarts and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

SPRING is here and the weather is improving. Among the best ingredients in April is purple sprouting broccoli and here's a lovely, tasty recipe from Delicious Magazine.

Wensleydale Tarts and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

    Serves 6
    Takes 25 minutes to make, 35 minutes to cook, plus chilling and cooling
   
Ingredients

    12 small spears of purple sprouting broccoli
    2 tbsp olive oil
    2 banana shallots, finely sliced
    3 large free-range eggs and 2 yolks, beaten
    250ml double cream
    150g wensleydale, grated
    35g cream cheese
    Green salad to serve

For the pastry

    300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
    80g shelled walnuts, whizzed in a food processor until finely ground
    ½ tsp fine salt
    120g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
    Finely grated zest of 1½ lemons
    1 medium free-range egg yolk
    2 tbsp ice-cold water

Method

1. To make the pastry, put the flour, ground walnuts and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the lemon zest and egg yolk, then pulse, gradually adding the water until the mixture just comes together. Tip out on to a lightly floured surface, bring together with your hands, then knead briefly. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film, then chill for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin and use to line 6 x 12cm fluted tart tins (see tip), pressing the pastry right down into the tins and into the sides. Chill for 10 minutes.
4. .Line the tarts with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice, then blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans/rice, then bake for 5-10 minutes more until golden. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas
5. Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli spears in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and refresh in ice-cold water. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the shallots for 10-12 minutes until very soft and golden.
6. Whisk the eggs, yolks, cream, wensleydale and cream cheese in a jug, then season. Divide the shallots equally among the cases. Divide the broccoli spears, broken into smaller florets, among the tart cases, then pour over the egg mix. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and just set.
7. Take out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the tins and cool to room temperature. Serve with a few green salad leaves.

Tip: When lining the pastry cases, let the excess pastry hang over the sides. This stops the cases shrinking. After blind baking, trim off the excess with a serrated knife before you add the egg mixture.
   

You can freeze the finished tarts. Reheat in the oven from frozen for 15-20 minutes.
  

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