Tarteletter med Høns i Asparges (Danish Chicken and Asparagus in Pastry Shells)
Local name: Tarteletter med høns i asparges
In short: Creamy chicken and white asparagus in a velvety sauce, spooned into crisp puff pastry shells, a Danish classic for celebrations and Sunday lunch. It takes about 1 h 55 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 25 min
- Total
- 1 h 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 530 kcal
Tarteletter med høns i asparges, crisp pastry shells filled with chicken and white asparagus in a creamy sauce, is a Danish classic for birthdays, family parties and Sunday lunches. The chicken is poached with vegetables to make a rich stock, which becomes the base of a velvety sauce with asparagus and a touch of lemon. Ready-made shells make it easy to put together.
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a large pot with the carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Cover with the cold water and bring to a gentle simmer, skimming off the foam. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes (35 for thighs), until tender and 74°C (165°F) at the thickest part.
- Lift out the chicken. Strain the stock and measure 500 ml (2 cups) for the sauce, keeping it hot. Keep the rest for soup.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones, discard the skin and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. You need about 500 g (1.1 lb).
- Warm the pastry shells on a tray in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour for 1 to 2 minutes without browning. Whisk in the hot stock and the asparagus liquid a little at a time and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring, until thick and smooth.
- Stir in the cream, chicken, asparagus, lemon juice, white pepper and nutmeg. Heat through for 3 to 4 minutes and season with salt.
- Fill the warm shells generously, scatter with parsley and serve at once.
Tips
- Poaching the chicken yourself gives the best stock for the sauce, but leftover roast or poached chicken works too. Use 500 g (1.1 lb) cooked meat and 500 ml (2 cups) good chicken stock.
- Fill the shells only at the moment of serving, because the crisp pastry softens within minutes. Put any extra filling in a warm bowl on the table.
Questions and answers
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes. Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it. Reheat it gently with a splash of stock and warm the shells just before filling.
Do I have to use white asparagus?
White asparagus from a jar or can is traditional. Fresh green asparagus, boiled until just tender and cut into pieces, also works well, added for the last 2 minutes of heating.
Where do I find pastry shells?
Ready-made puff pastry shells are sold frozen in most supermarkets. Or press 10 cm (4 in) rounds of puff pastry into a muffin tin, prick them, fill with baking beans and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and bake 5 minutes more.
How long does it take to make Tarteletter med Høns i Asparges (Danish Chicken and Asparagus in Pastry Shells)?
About 1 h 55 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 1 h 25 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Tarteletter med Høns i Asparges (Danish Chicken and Asparagus in Pastry Shells)?
About 530 kcal per serving, with 29 g of protein, 28 g of carbohydrates and 33 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 530 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 29 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Sodium | 850 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
