Bird’s Nest Pie

Bird’s Nest Pie

Ingredients:
120 grams (3 to 4) thick asparagus spears
1 ball of Pizza Dough, shaped and waiting on a floured peel
15 grams (¼ cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
20 grams (about ¾ ounce) Saint Nectaire cheese or Taleggio, cut into 6 chunks
4 to 6 quail eggs (see Note)

Directions:
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 Place the pizza stone in a gas oven on a rack about 8 inches from the broiler. Preheat
the oven on bake at 500°F for 30 minutes. Switch to broil for 10 minutes. (For an
electric variation.)
2 Cut away about 2 inches of the base of each asparagus spear. With a vegetable
peeler, shave the entire asparagus from bottom to top, reversing your grip and
rotating as necessary to shave as much as possible. Don’t rush it; be deliberate for
the greatest precision. You should have about 90 grams (3 ounces) of very thin
ribbons.
3 With the dough on the peel, sprinkle the Parmigiano evenly over the surface and
distribute the chunks of Saint Nectaire on top. Arrange the asparagus shavings over
the cheese.
4 With quick, jerking motions, slide the pie onto the stone. Broil for 2½ minutes under
gas (somewhat longer with an electric oven). The cheese should be bubbling, the
crust only slightly charred.