Mascarpone Puff Pastry Delight

Ingredients

2 4-inch diameter puff pastry shells (available at most groceries)
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 ounces pancetta, browned and rendered of excess fat
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces (or fiddlehead ferns, cleaned) blanched and cooled
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Bake pastry shells for 4 minutes. Combine the mascarpone, pancetta, hazelnuts, and chives. Season with salt and pepper, and fill the two puff pastry shells with the mixture. Place on a sheet tray and bake for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a medium saute pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter, add the asparagus and shallots. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and stock, boil and reduce for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Ladle this mixture onto your plates. Remove that lovely thing from the oven and place atop the vegetable ragout. Garnish.

Yield: 2 appetizer portions