Souffléd crab & asparagus tart

Souffléd crab & asparagus tart

By Mary Cadogan
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(9 ratings)
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Prep: 40 mins Cook: 55 mins

More effort

Serves 6
This melt-in-the-mouth tart can be served as a main course, or as a brilliant starter for eight served with a green salad

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal406
  • fat25g
  • saturates10g
  • carbs30g
  • sugars3g
  • fibre2g
  • protein17g
  • salt1.18g
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Ingredients

  • 300g ready-made shortcrust pastry
  • 25g butter
    Butter

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…

  • 25g plain flour
  • 300ml milk

    Milk

    mill-k

    One of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a 'complete' food…

  • freshly grated nutmeg
    Nutmeg

    Nutmeg

    nut-meg

    One of the most useful of spices for both sweet and savoury…

  • 2 good pinches chilli powder
  • 200g white crabmeat, fresh or frozen and defrosted
  • 140g asparagus tips
    Asparagus

    Asparagus

    a-spa-ra-gus

    Labour-intensive to grow, asparagus are the young shoots of a cultivated lily plant. They're…

  • 3 eggs, separated
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…

  • 3 tbsp finely grated parmesan
    Parmesan

    Parmesan

    parm-ee-zan

    Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and rich, fruity flavour. It…

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out pastry and line a 25cm tart tin. Line the case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove paper and beans and cook for 5 mins more. Trim off excess pastry. Reduce oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

  2. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time until the sauce is smooth and glossy. Add nutmeg, chilli and salt and leave to cool slightly.

  3. Flake up the crabmeat and add to the sauce. Blanch the asparagus for 3 mins, drain well and cool under cold running water. Pat dry with kitchen paper and scatter over the pastry case.

  4. Stir the egg yolks into the sauce. Whisk the whites until stiff, then fold into the sauce in 3 batches. Spoon into the tart case and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 30-35 mins until puffed and golden.

  • Recipe Tip

    Beetroot, toasted almond & watercress salad

    Peel and grate 2 raw beetroot. Whisk together the zest and juice ½ orange, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange 100g watercress over a platter and scatter with the beetroot and 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds. Drizzle over dressing.

  • Recipe Tip

    Tartare potato salad

    Chop 750g salad potatoes into chunks, cook until tender, then drain. Meanwhile, mix together 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 tbsp chopped capers, 6 chopped small gherkins and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Add 3 rounded tbsp mayonnaise, the juice ½ lemon and a little salt and pepper. Mix well and toss potatoes in the dressing.

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Comments, questions and tips

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camberwellgirl
19th Jun, 2015
5.05
Lovely recipe, works every time. I make my own pastry and have been using fresh crayfish tails from a bargain supermarket as they were much cheaper than crab and adding smoked paprika rather than chilli, Yum. Also don't think it is necessary to blanch the asparagus first (unless they are monstrously thick), as they lose their lovely crispness when over-cooked.
kathryndonna's picture
kathryndonna
1st Sep, 2012
5.05
A lovely light flan. I used flaked smoked haddock instead of crab and it was delicious. This is going to be a regular basic recipe as I can feel several variations of fish, vegetable and seasoning coming on.
mick8445
26th Mar, 2012
GRRRRR! I hate recipes from "professionals" that don't make sense. The crab and asparagus sounds great and I will be trying it soon, when the British asparagus season starts. BUT, the beetroot, toasted almond and watercress salad? We have tbsp of some ingredients but "2 raw beetroots"! What does this mean? Have you seen the variations in size of raw beets? Some are 6-8 times bigger than others. OK, I can taste and check for myself but a recipe should be generally accurate. This happens all too often.
ecchapman
28th Feb, 2012
4.05
A lovely fresh Summer recipe. I do recommend splashing out on proper crabmeat though. I used tinned crab the first couple of times I made this and, although perfectly edible, it was a bit bland.
blackbeetle
8th May, 2011
5.05
delicious and light, and very easy to make. Loved it, will be making it again.
vanillatimtam
25th Jan, 2011
3.05
Easier than I thought - I loved it and the reviews were good.
vanillatimtam
25th Jan, 2011
3.05
Easier than I thought - I loved it and the reviews were good.
anikel
30th Nov, 2010
5.05
I used tinned crab, and it was absolutely fine - delicious, and with a lovely texture.
elizabethr
12th Jul, 2010
5.05
Highly recommend, lovely flavours with a simple recipe and delivers a really delicious tart.
raqwilkinson
5th May, 2010
4.05
I only had puff pastry and tinned flaked crab, used them instead and it was still delicious.
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