With spring well under way, we were able to enjoy both fresh white and green asparagus almost every day. White asparagus appears first, grown under mounds of dirt to escape the sun's rays, thus remaining pearly white with only a smudge of lilac or chartreuse at the top, followed by the grass-green spears to which we are more accustomed. Imported bottled good quality white asparagus is readily available. These rolls, ideal for aperitifs, were made using the finest Jambon Noir de Bigorre, though prosciutto or ordinary ham will work just as well.

Ingredients

• 400 grams block puff pastry, defrosted
• 2 bunches asparagus, about 24 spears
• 2-3 tablespoons Boursin or other flavoured cream-style cheese
• 2-3 slices jambon or prosciutto
• Beaten egg or milk to glaze

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC or fan bake 200ºC. Grease two baking tray.
2. Cut the pastry in half and roll each piece out to a 30-33cm round, it should be thin, but not paper thin. Rest for a few minutes while preparing the asparagus. Pastry, puff in particular, will perform better after being pummelled and rolled if left to rest before cooking, when it is expected to rise perfectly; miss this step and your pastry may not be parfait - perfect.
3. Peel and blanch the asparagus spears for a minute, no more, as they will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and pat dry on paper towel. Trim off the coarse thick ends. Cut the jambon slices into small pieces, you will need the same number of pieces as asparagus spears. Spread one side of each piece of jambon thinly with a little cheese before wrapping around one asparagus spear - cheese side to the asparagus.
4. Cut each the pastry round into 12 wedges. Place an asparagus and jambon-wrapped spear at the wider end of one pastry wedge and roll up - they should resemble a croissant. Place on the greased tray, repeating the process until all the ingredients have been used. (At this point the rolls can be refrigerated for half a day or so and cooked when required) Brush with egg or milk to glaze.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until well risen and golden. Puff pastry needs a blast of hot air to rise and brown, but as the pastry is thinly rolled keep an eye on these while cooking as some ovens may cook hotter. Serve warm.