This is the kind of recipe you make on a Saturday morning, when the market has just closed and you’ve brought back a bunch of green asparagus without really knowing what to do with it. Thirty-five minutes later, it’s on the table. Not complicated. Just good.
Ingredients :
- Green asparagus — Pick medium-sized stalks — neither too thin (they dry out in the oven before they’re cooked) nor too thick (they stay hard in the center). At the market or on the shelf, you recognize them by their firmness: a bunch that bends in your hand has been sitting there for two days. Avoid white asparagus here; their flavor is too mild and disappears completely under the parmesan.
- Puff pastry — The one from the chilled section works perfectly. The key: don’t take it from the fridge directly to the oven. Let it relax for 10 minutes at room temperature, otherwise it will shrink in the pan and the edges will crawl up. ‘All-butter’ versions provide a more pronounced flakiness and a much better color.
- Ricotta — Not the low-fat version — it contains too much water and your filling will liquefy during baking. Whole-milk ricotta, firm in its pot, is what gives that creamy texture that holds up when sliced. If you can’t find it, a cream cheese like Saint-Môret or Philadelphia will do the trick just fine.
- Parmesan — Grate it yourself if you can. Pre-grated parmesan in bags is often dehydrated, has lost flavor, and doesn’t melt as well. 80 grams is generous — that’s intentional. It’s what salts the whole filling and brings that slightly nutty taste we’re looking for.
