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How to make Swedish smoked salmon and asparagus tart

The Local Sweden
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How to make Swedish smoked salmon and asparagus tart

Spring is the season of asparagus in Sweden. Food writer John Duxbury shares his favourite recipe for a delicious spring tart with smoked salmon with The Local.

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Summary

Serves: 4

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 35 minutes

Ingredients

250 g (9oz) chilled puff pastry, ready rolled

2 eggs, lighly beaten

200 g (7oz) light Philadelphia cheese

2 tbsp dill, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper

400 g (7oz) green asparagus (200 g if already trimmed)

olive oil

200 g (7oz) smoked salmon, sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Unroll the puff pastry and lay it on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. If using a larger sheet, trim the pastry to about 20cm x 30cm.

3. Use a sharp knife to mark a 2.5 cm border round the sheet, cutting half way through the pastry. Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg and bake for 10 minutes until the pastry begins to turn golden brown.

4. Meanwhile, mix the cheese, dill, chives and egg, then season to taste with freshly ground white pepper.

5. Snap the ends off the asparagus spears and discard the woody bits (or keep for soup). Toss the spears lightly in oil.

6. Cut round the inside edge of the pastry frame with a sharp knife and lightly press the pastry down inside the frame in the middle, taking care not to spoil the frame.

7. Add the smoked salmon, then pour in the cheese mixture and finally add the oiled asparagus spears. Bake in the bottom half of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set.

8. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes and then serve with a mixed salad garnished with thinly sliced fennel.

Tips

- Choose a mild smoked salmon to avoid overpowering the asparagus.

- If you want to reduce the fat content, use Philadelphia Lightest instead of the Light version. It is not quite as easy to incorporate, but the taste and texture is still good.

- The original recipe used five tablespoons of dill and five of chives. Our tasters thought there was too much dill, but try it for a really strong Swedish taste.

- The original recipe added salt to the cheese mixture but I think there is enough salt in the smoked salmon, so that it doesn't need any more – but then I'm British!

This recipe is courtesy of John Duxbury, founder and editor of Swedish Food, who adapted it from a Swedish recipe by Maud Onnermark for magazine Matmagasinet.

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