Ingredients

400 g roll of puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg + 1 tsp (5 ml) milk, whisked (for egg wash)
100 g baby asparagus
2 x 250 g creamed smooth cottage cheese
juice and zest of a small lemon
20 g wild rocket, washed and patted dry
100 g smoked salmon (or trout) ribbons
4-5 sprigs of fresh dill, picked
2 Tbsp (30 ml) baby capers
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.

Unroll the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly dust the pastry with flour and use a rolling pin to gently roll out any crinkles in the pastry.

Slice a 3 cm piece of pastry off each side of the rectangle but keep them intact; brush the edges of the remaining rectangle with egg wash and then lay the corresponding trimmed pastry pieces on top of the egg wash to stick them down. This will puff up and create a border all the way around. Brush the pastry with egg wash, then use a fork to poke the dough all over the inside of the border. Transfer to a baking paper-lined tray. Bake for 25-35 minutes until puffed and golden, then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

While the pasty is cooling, set a griddle pan or a frying pan over high heat. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and fry until it begins to char. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Place the cream cheese into a bowl, add the lemon zest and juice and mix or whisk until smooth.

To Assemble

Once the pastry is cool, spoon several dollops of cottage cheese within the border. Use the back of a spoon to spread it out and connect the dollops to create a base of cheese. Top with rocket, twirls of salmon ribbons, grilled asparagus, dill fronds and capers. Season with salt and a crack of black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and then slice and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Enjoy with 2021 La Motte Vin de Joie Rosé

Recipe by Crush