When dinner is not quite ready, it's always great to have some amuse bouche (palate teaser) to keep the the hungry guests happy.
Here's a nice and quick to put together party opener from Clodagh's Kitchen Diaries (Kyle Books USA, March 2013) by Clodagh McKenna.
Asparagus, Mint, and
Ricotta Tartlets
Super simple to make
and so tasty. Use asparagus in the recipe while it’s in season, but you can
substitute with lots of other vegetables when it isn’t, such as tomatoes or
zucchini.
Makes 4
1 sheet of
ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
8 oz ricotta
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
finely grated rind of
1 lemon
8 asparagus spears
olive oil, for
brushing
sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
mint leaves, to serve
Preheat the
oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper.
Cut out four
rectangles, each 5 °— 21/2 in, from the pastry sheet and place them on the baking
sheet. Score a 1/2 in border on each rectangle.
Put the
ricotta, Parmesan, lemon rind, salt, and pepper into a bowl and stir to
combine. Spoon the mixture on to the pastry and top each tart with two
asparagus spears. Brush the pastry borders with oil and cook in the oven for
12–15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.
Serve with a
couple of mint leaves on top.
Add to your St Patrick's Day recipe list
(* Recipe reproduced from Clodagh's Kitchen Diaries by Clodagh McKenna -Kyle Books USA, March 2013, all rights reserved)