Directions

1. To make the tart shell, combine flour, milk, butter, salt, and sugar, and begin kneading. Just before the mixture comes together, add the egg yolks and continue kneading until the dough begins to turn yellow.
2. Roll out the dough and divide it into 4 pieces. Stack them on top of each other, and repeat that process twice. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 340. Roll the dough out to 1/8" and trim to fit a tart mold (this recipe should make enough dough for 2 tart shells). Bake for roughly 10 minutes, using another tart mold or a can of baking beans to weigh down the tart shell. Let cool to room temperature.
4. In a pot, sear the chopped fennel stalk with butter, salt, and white pepper. Pour in milk and remove from the heat. Allow to come to room temperature.
5. Transfer to a blender and combine with cream and egg until emulsified. Pour into parbaked tart shell and bake at 325 degrees for about 20-30 mins, until a toothpick pulls clean from the center.
6. To make the shallot jam, combine butter and shallots in a pan and cook until the shallots are almost caramelized. Add in the sugar and cook until the sugar liquefies. At that stage, add the apple cider and cook the mixture down to 1/3 of the original volume. Set aside.
7. Trim the tips off of the asparagus and slice the rest of the stalk to form thin coins (about 1/8"). In a pan, heat butter until slightly brown. Add a pinch of salt and the asparagus coins. Cook for 45 seconds, just enough to warm up the asparagus.
8. To assemble, spread a layer of shallot jam over the baked tart and cover with a generous layer of shredded Reading cheese. Top with a layer of asparagus coins.