Candice Brown describes this as “a gorgeous tart that’s light enough for lunch, but also perfect if you are not too hungry but know you have to have something to eat”.
The cookbook author and former Bake Off winner says you can swap the salmon for ham hock or more vegetables if you’d prefer.
Read: Potato and Asparagus Bake
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
- 6–8 sheets of ready-made filo pastry
- 50g unsalted butter, melted
- 250g fine asparagus
- 5 eggs
- 100ml thickened cream
- 100ml whole milk
- small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 200g baby spinach
- 5 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 200g smoked salmon
- 250g soft goats’ cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 160ºC fan forced (180ºC traditional).
Brush a 25cm flan or quiche tin with melted butter and place the first layer of filo pastry. Brush this with melted butter and place the second layer, then brush with more melted butter. Repeat with the filo and butter until the tin is covered and you have lots of lovely jagged edges sticking up. You will have to arrange the sheets at different angles – about six to eight sheets of pastry should work. Brush the last layer of pastry with butter and bake for eight to 10 minutes until the filo starts to turn golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Read: Asparagus and Onion Frittata
Bend the asparagus spears until they snap – this is the bit that is too woody to eat – then blanch for two minutes in boiling water.
Mix the eggs, cream, milk and some salt and pepper together in a jug. Finely chop the parsley and stir through.
Layer up the spinach, asparagus and spring onions in the baked filo pastry case and tear the smoked salmon over the top. Pour over the egg mixture and top with slices of the goats’ cheese. Very carefully transfer the filled filo pastry case to the oven. (You may find it easier to put the flan tin on a flat baking tray and pour the egg mixture into the pastry while it is in the oven – just be careful not to burn yourself.)
Read: Zucchini Goats’ Cheese Flatbreads
Bake for 25–30 minutes until the egg is just set with a slight wobble and the filo is golden brown. If the filo starts to go too dark, simply cover it with foil.
Serve warm on its own or with a salad.
Happy Cooking by Candice Brown, photography by Ellis Parrinder, is published by Ebury Press.
Are you a fan of goats’ cheese? What’s your go-to supper or light dinner choice? Why not share your favourites in the comments section below?
– With PA
