An improvised tart to celebrate spring – perfect for a Sunday lunch with friends.

The White Witch still has the East Coast in her wintry clutches, but here in Californarnia, Aslan is on the move. It’s spring! The song birds are pairing up, the squirrels are getting frisky, and the trees are in blossom. Best of all, there is asparagus at the farmers’ market. Asparagus, sparrow grass, the very queen of all vegetables!

So when my friends invited me to brunch yesterday, I knew that I wanted to riff on the theme of spring. I set the tone with a floral sundress, ribbons and braids in my hair, and white ballet slippers on my feet but my pièce de résistance was an improvised asparagus tart.

I didn’t follow a recipe but I was vaguely inspired by a beautiful cover from Donna Hay magazine about six years ago – it was one of the first few issues of the magazine and I recall they alternated green, purple and white asparagus to make a lovely pattern. I don’t know what else went in the Donna Hay version, but I made mine with goat cheese from Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building and ricotta and pine nuts that I happened to have on hand.

Originally I was thinking of making a crust but I ran out of time and I happened to have filo pastry in the fridge – and actually I think the flaky filo was just the ticket. If I were making it again I would stick with filo and my only improvement is that I might scatter some lemon zest over the top as well.

Recipe – Asparagus tart

Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients
Filo pastry, 6 sheets
Olive oil
Ricotta, 1 cup
Pine nuts, 1/4 cup
Garlic, 2 cloves
Round of goat cheese (we used “bucheron style”)
Asparagus, 2 bunches
Salt and pepper
Zest from half a lemon (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 350F (180C) if you will bake the tart straight away (it can also be prepared ahead of time).

Layer filo pastry in a baking dish, brushing each sheet lightly with olive oil. (The refrigerated kind of filo is easier to work with than the frozen kind).

Crush garlic and mix pine nuts and garlic into the ricotta. Spread evenly over the top layer of filo. Chop goat cheese into small cubes and slivers and spread evenly over ricotta layer.

Wash and trim ends from asparagus. If it is thick then slice or peel the outer layer at the woody ends (this is not necessary with thin spears). Layer the asparagus over the cheese, alternating which direction the spears are pointing.

Brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle good quality sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest over the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the filo is brown and crisp and the asparagus looks cooked. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

The brunch was filled with delightful things to eat – such as scrambled eggs and crisp bacon, spinach quiche and wonderful homemade caramel buns – but I think the asparagus tart held its own. We drank champagne or Bloody Marys and whiled away the afternoon in idle bliss.

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