fontina asparagus tart

[izno]

1 pound fresh asparagus trimmed, 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed, 1/2 pound fontina cheese shredded divided, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. in a large skillet bring 1 inch of water to a boil : add asparagus. cover and cook 3-5 min or just until crisp-tender. on a lightly floured surface roll out pastry into a 12inch x16 inch rectangle. transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet bake at 400 degrees for 10 min or till golden brown. sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry. arrange asparagus on top sprinkle with remaining cheese. combine the lemon juice ,oil, lemon peel, salt and pepper. sprinkle over the top bake 10 -15 minutes longer or until the asparagus is tender and cheese is melted. slice and serve warm. the temp for the oven is in f not c. i would spell those words but i am too stupid to know the correct spelling lol. enjoy

[Miruwin]

Sounds very nice Izno.

Only one question though, what is fontina cheese?

Its not a name we are familiar with here in Australia.

[izno]

its a semi soft cow's milk cheese from italy. also there is a danish fontina. or you could use mozzarella might also be good with a mild swiss.

[Miruwin]

Ahh thats why we don't know it here in Australia and don't seem to import it. Its an unpasteurised cheese. Unpasteurised milk and dairy products have been banned in Australia for a long, long time. Although they did allow roquefort in very recently. Not sure if you can still buy roquefort here though, because there was talk about them reimposing the ban.

[Selinea]

Ahh thats why we don't know it here in Australia and don't seem to import it. Its an unpasteurised cheese. Unpasteurised milk and dairy products have been banned in Australia for a long, long time. Although they did allow roquefort in very recently. Not sure if you can still buy roquefort here though, because there was talk about them reimposing the ban.

Maybe I should move this one to "Ask Miru" but - why are unpasterised milk n dairy products banned?

[Miruwin]

Unpasteurised milk contains a number of organisms found within dairy cows and the milking shed which can cause severe illness in humans. There are several diseases prevalent in European cattle including anthrax and tubercullosis (roquefort is from France and is actually ewe's milk, whereas fontina is from Italy and is cow's milk)

The possibility of anthrax and other diseases entering Australia via unpasteurised milk products is the reason these products are banned.

[Golgolath]

Unpasteurized milk is sort of like the dairy equivalent of uncooked meat, yes?

[Miruwin]

IF you can guarantee the cleanliness of the milking shed (and workers) and the health of your milking cattle, then unpasteurised will not do you a lot of harm and is (according to some people) better for you than pasteurised, plus it is still regarded as safe to drink even when it has gone off whereas pasteurised milk once it has gone off isn't.

However, the cleaning of the milking equipment and the storage is absolutely critical and very hard if not impossible, to guarantee.

In essence though, unpasteurised milk has a risk of bacteria, uncooked meat has a risk of bacteria and parasites.

[Vexo]

Unpasteurized milk is sort of like the dairy equivalent of uncooked meat, yes?

We used to visit a farmer every new years eve, where my dad got a big glass of milk directly from one of their cows. He didn't (doesn't) drink milk any other day of the year.

Just a small Vexo anekdote!