I was looking for an impressive but hasty lunch solution last week while in Auckland. Problem quickly solved after visiting the delish Nosh in Dominion Road where the asparagus was crying ‘pick me’.  Having glanced at the weekend paper before heading out, an image of Donna Hay’s galettes were fresh in my mind.

I’ve never been much of a pastry gal – all that fat blah blah blah. But after the trip to France, I have managed to get over myself a little and am even making the stuff these days (ok, not all the time, but I give it a go when Master Two isn’t under foot).

Using Donna’s recipes as inspiration, I used what I had in the (Mum’s) fridge to pull together a more than acceptable first attempt.

Turn your oven to 190-200C and line a tray with baking paper. Take a sheet or two of butter puff or flaky pastry (there are fat reduced options available if you are so inclined, but they usually don’t contain butter). Score a square around the pastry sheet about 10/15mm in from the edge (not all the way through the pastry) and prick within the square with a fork. Rest for 15 minutes in the fridge while getting everything else ready.

Lightly whisk an egg with a good grind of freshly ground pepper. Add some crumbled goat’s (or whatever you have) feta, then spread the mixture over the pastry within the area you’ve scored. (You don’t need salt when using a salty cheese.)

Pop the asparagus over the top of the egg mixture – try use similar size spheres, either ‘top and tailing’ as per the image at the beginning of the post or tips at the top as in this photograph.

I then drizzled with some pomegranate molasses, which I’d picked up on special at Nosh. Love the stuff. You can always use balsamic or leave this step out completely.

Pop the tray into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Watch it though as the pastry can burn quickly.

Wahlah, end result – scrummy. We served it cold on a lunch buffet and I’m assured – even by diner who broke her WW diet to have a piece – that it tasted fantastic. Word of warning, watch out not to get the molasses on the pastry like I did as burnt molasses is bad molasses.

A final few words. While Nosh is impressive – they not only have an extensive range of everyday and specialty products, but they sell two litres of milk for just $2 (good on you Nosh folk) – my new fav place in Auckland is Farro Fresh in Grey Lynn. (Sorry Sabato, I still love you too!). I would sell everything I own (including my husband) to buy shares in that place. It deserves a blog posting all of its own, I’m not even going to try to describe it now. So, in the meantime, go for a visit – you won’t regret it. And pick up a few ingredients to try a galette of your own.