Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

Bring a pan (large enough for the asparagus) of water to a boil, add salt so it takes like ocean water.

Fill a large bowl with water and ice.

Cook the asparagus 2-5 minutes depending on the thickness until they are bright green and tender. Remove and add immediately to the ice water to stop cooking. Remove immediately after cooled and dry on a towel. Set aside.

Line a large baking sheet/tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 4 even squares. My sheet measured 9 x 9 inches (23 x 23 cm).

Place the puff pastry squares onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Score with a sharp knife ¼-inch (½ cm) in from the edge all around, don’t cut all the way through. Use a fork to poke holes all over the inside of the tartlets. This step helps keep the center from puffing up and allows the edge to puff up.

Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture.

Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, if the centers are puffy, poke with a fork so they will deflate. This step is to just slightly cook the center of the dough so it is not raw before adding the ricotta.

To a small bowl mix the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture onto each of the tartlets, but not on the edges. Place 4 asparagus spears decoratively on each tartlet.

Bake for 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped mint. Serve room temperature.