Best Asparagus & Prosciutto Galette Recipe | Savory French-Inspired Tart

Thanks to the maize meal (a South African twist), the pastry in this recipe is delightfully crunchy.

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 1⅓ cups (200g) cake flour
• ½ cup (50g) coarse maize meal
• 2 tsp (10ml) sugar
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) salt
• ¾ cup (150g) ice-cold butter, cubed
• ⅓ cup (80ml) ice-cold water

For the béchamel sauce:

• ½ cup (50g) butter
• ⅓ cup (50g) cake flour
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• Salt and milled pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 300g asparagus, blanched (green beans work well, too
• 2-3 Tbsp (30-45ml) olive oil
• 100-150g prosciutto crudo (par-cooked bacon works well, too)
• 1 egg, whisked
• Gruyère or Parmesan, for serving

Method

1. For the pastry, place dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and pulse for 30 seconds to create pea-sized lumps.
2. Add iced water and pulse just until the mixture comes together.
3. Remove pastry and flatten into a disc, then cover in cling wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
4. For the sauce, melt butter in a pan, then add flour. Stir mixture until it starts to simmer.
8. Reduce heat and add milk in a thin stream while continuously stirring until sauce is thick and smooth.
9. Cook sauce for about 2 minutes. Season and add nutmeg. Cool.
11. Preheat oven to 200°C.
12. Roll out pastry on a floured surface to a 3mm-thick oval.
13. Place pastry on a baking tray.
14. Spread cooled béchamel over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border of pastry clean around the edges.
15. Toss asparagus in oil and arrange on top of béchamel sauce along with prosciutto.
16. Neatly fold edges of pastry over to enclose ingredients a little.
17. Brush edges with egg.
18. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and cooked through.
19. Serve warm with shavings of Gruyère or Parmesan.

Compiled by: Lichelle May
Photographs: Fresh Living magazine
Text Courtesy of: My Kitchen magazine