Herbed ricotta cheese tart topped with spring vegetables and an almond (gluten free) crust

Ingredients

• Serves 6
• For the crust:
• 8 ounces (225 g) almond powder
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter or equal amount of coconut oil
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• For the vegetables:
• 250 g (7 oz/1 bunch) asparagus, woody end snapped off and discarded, tip end cut into bite-size pieces at an angle.
• 150 g (5 oz) shelled peas
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced
• Olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• For the filling:
• 225 g (8 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 tablespoons fresh herbs – tarragon, chives, parsley and basil or your preferred mix
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. One 9-inch tart pan, buttered and the bottom, lined with parchment.
2. Preheat oven to 380 °F (180 °C)
3. Place all the ingredients for the crust in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. Turn the dough onto the prepared tart pan. Using the back of a spoon or your fingers press the dough into the pan. Make sure to go all the way up the sides of the pan and that the dough has a uniform thickness across the bottom and edges. Prick all over with a fork then place in the freezer for 25 minutes. Bake the tart shell 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust is an even golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before filling.
4. Prepare the vegetables: for the asparagus fill a pot with water and place over high heat. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and the asparagus. Cook, uncovered, until the vegetable is crisp tender. (Cooking time will vary according to the size and tenderness but count 2 to 3 minutes). Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool as rapidly as possible. Remove as soon as they have cooled down, just 1 minute or so, drain and spread out on a clean kitchen towel to dry. Use the same method to cook the carrots.
5. Peas need to be cooked in minimum of water, so judge how much water will be needed to cover the peas and add that to a pot. (Do not salt the water, as it will toughen the fresh peas) Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring the water to a boil, add the peas, reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes, drain and refresh in the ice water for 1 minute. Drain and spread out on the kitchen towel with the other vegetables to dry. (The vegetables can be cooked up to 2 hours in advanced and kept wrapped in the kitchen towel and refrigerated.)
6. Prepare the filling. Put the eggs, ricotta and parmesan in a medium size bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of chopped herbs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour into the baked shell and cook 20 minutes or until set.
7. If the vegetables have been refrigerated bring them up to room temperature. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and lemon juice and the remaining chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper then scatter the vegetables over the still warm tart. Slice and serve.