Serves 4
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1/2 fennel bulb, sliced very thinly
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
20g leaves wild garlic
100ml olive oil
130g strong flour
65g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
200g white crabmeat or mushrooms
100ml double cream
Zest and juice of 1/4 lemon
1 egg
40g peashoots
Sea salt and black pepper
buttered steamed new potatoes, to serve
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In a bowl, cover the fennel with 1 tbsp of the vinegar and 2 tbsp of cold water and sprinkle with salt. Chill until needed.
Blend together the wild garlic and olive oil with a pinch of sea salt. Place the flour with the cubed butter and rub the butter into the flour. Mix in the egg yolk and 2 tbsp of the wild garlic mixture and mix together. Knead the pastry together for 1 min. Then wrap the pastry and chill for 1hr.
Preheat the oven to 200C and grease four muffin holes in a muffin tray. On a surface dusted with flour, roll out the pastry to around 1/2cm thick and cut out circles to fit the holes. Blind bake, using baking paper to line the pastry cases and baking beans inside, for 10 mins. Remove beans and bake for 5 mins. Turn oven to 180C.
Divide the crabmeat or mushrooms between the tart cases, then whisk together the cream, egg, lemon zest and juice, and black pepper in a jug. Pour over the mixture and bake for 20-25 mins, or until golden and set.
In the meantime, mix the remaining vinegar into the wild garlic pesto and season with salt and pepper. Toss the peashoots and the wild garlic together and divide between four plates. Add a tart each, topped with a pinch of pickled fennel. Serve with buttered new potatoes.
