The Perfect Picnic For International Picnic Day 4 June 2024

For the crust

• •  260g all-purpose flour

• • 1 tsp salt

• • 150g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

• • 75ml cold water

For the filling

• • 14g butter

• • 1 shallot, peeled and diced

• • 150g asparagus, stemmed and cut into small pieces

• • 4 large eggs

• • 180ml whole milk

• • 60ml heavy cream

• • 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

• • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• • 1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves

• • 125g soft unripened goat’s cheese, crumbled 100g sliced prosciutto

For the crust

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle.
2. Mix the flour, salt and butter with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-sized bits of butter are still visible.
3. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough roughly comes together into a ball – do not overmix. Add a few more splashes of water if you feel the dough is too crumbly/dry. Then, wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Grease and flour a 9-inch pie dish. Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface and roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Transfer the crust to the pie dish. Cut any excess crust that hangs over the edge, and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork.

For the filling

1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the diced shallot until lightly caramelised. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Then set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Drop in the cut asparagus and boil for 3 minutes until barely cooked. You should be able to poke a fork in them, but they should still feel slightly firm. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper and parsley. Add the crumbled goat’s cheese, the shallots and mix to combine.
4. Scatter the asparagus and prosciutto evenly over the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the batter over the top, making sure the goat’s cheese crumbs are evenly distributed as well. Do not fill the batter to the rim as the filling will lightly puff up as it bakes.
5. Bake for 55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is golden. Then, transfer onto a cooling rack and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.