Ingredients
Pastry
110g plain flour
25g lard
25g butter
2 tbs water
Filling
1 onion, sliced
250g asparagus, blanched for 2 minutes
5 rashers of streaky smoked bacon, chopped
2 eggs plus 2 yolks
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
450g double cream
100g Gruyère/Emmental cheese plus a little extra for sprinkling
Equipment
25cm flan tin

Method

Preheat oven 180C.

To make the pastry; in a bowl rub the butter and lard into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the water and bring together to form a dough.

Roll out and line the flan tin and prick the base with a fork.

With a piece of tin foil press down on your pastry and bake blind for 15 mins. Remove the tin foil and continue cooking until golden brown approximately 5 mins.

For the filling; in a frying pan fry the onion and bacon until the onion is soft.

Roughly chop half of the asparagus and put them into the case with the bacon and onions.

In a bowl mix the cream, cheese, eggs, yolks, nutmeg, and seasoning.

Pour into the pastry case over the asparagus mix and decorate with the remaining asparagus and sprinkle with a little cheese.

Bake until golden brown and just set, approximately 25-30 minutes.

NB. If there is any leftover egg mixture, add some cooked bacon and pour into an ovenproof dish and bake until set – no need for pastry. OR stir through hot pasta off the heat as a delicious easy dish!