– ½ a package of puff pastry defrosted overnight in the fridge
– 500 grams of ricotta cheese
– 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or a bit more, to taste
– grated zest of ½ a lemon
If your puff pastry was in the freezer, let it defrost overnight in the fridge. Drain ricotta cheese in a colander for a few hours, or even overnight in the fridge. When ready to assemble the tart, Preheat oven to 450F.
Mix ricotta with lemon juice and grated lemon zest. Add sea salt and pepper, to taste. Taste and adjust flavourings - the filling should be light and just a bit zesty, but not acidic.
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into a shape that is a bit bigger than the bottom of the pie shell or glass baking dish that you are going to use (ensure there is a border of 1 to 2 inches all around the bottom, to make small sides for your tart).
Butter or oil your baking dish. Place the pastry in it, ensuring there is a 1-2 inch border all around the bottom. If you rolled it out too big, cut off any excess pastry
Spread mustard along the bottom of the pastry. Spoon ricotta mixture over mustard. Top with asparagus spears (or chunks, if you decided to chop it up).
Drizzle a bit of olive oil, sprinkle some more salt and freshly grated pepper on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pastry is golden and the aspragus is a little browned on top.