It’s asparagus season! I try to avoid making the same asparagus dish more than once throughout the six-week season. Our asparagus bed isn’t as robust as I’d like, so we never harvest so much that I need to preserve the bounty, but we do get enough every two or three days to challenge my creativity. I’m always looking for inspiration.
This Asparagus Tart was inspired by a dish that my friend Liz served to us a couple of evening ago – a delicious goat cheese and herb quiche, with her own chervil. It was fantastic. Liz went to culinary school and she has great instincts as a cook/chef, so she frequently serves up fare that whets my tastebuds and fires my imagination. This was one of those nights.
This Asparagus Tart is great for an appetizer or snacking – it’s just as good served warm or at room temperature. The next time I make it (next season, most likely!), I’ll cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces so that it’s easier to slice and eat. I’m already thinking of the design I’ll make on the top, so that an asparagus tip ends up in every bite.
Asparagus Tart
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1 parbaked pastry crust (see Note)
- 1 cup Cry Baby Cheese (you can substitute gruyere or compte)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 shallot
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 t thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1 t olive oil
Instructions
- Prep the asparagus and preheat the oven – Snap the tough ends off of the asparagus. Steam the asparagus spears for about 3 minutes, until they're crisp-tender, then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 ℉, convection bake setting.
- Mise en place – Mince the shallots, separate the eggs, grate the cheese.
- Combine the eggs and cheese – Mix together the cheeses, egg yolks, the minced shallot, the thyme, and salt and pepper.
- Assemble and bake – Spread the cheese mixture on the parbaked pastry crust. Chop the asparagus spears to your desired length and toss the pieces with a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Arrange on top of the cheese mixture and press in gently. Bank for twenty minutes, or until the cheese mixture is puffed and beginning to brown.
Notes
This is Liz’s quiche. I was delighted to learn that Liz used my Gluten-Free Pastry Crust recipe for her quiche. She gave me some good feedback and I’ve updated the recipe accordingly. In addition to the quiche, she served cantaloupe coated with aleppo pepper (I need that recipe!), raw almonds, and sliced red bell pepper and carrots, with a locally-made pub cheese for dipping. Oh, and wine. We had some wine. Simple, but quite special.
Thanks for the shout out, Melin’! Your version is interesting in that it doesn’t have liquid dairy. It lends itself to endless variation. Although cutting the asparagus in smaller pieces makes for easier eating, the stalks are rather artistic.
You are quite welcome. 🙂 And you know what they say – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! (So will you share the cataloupe recipe – is it really just salt and Aleppo pepper?)
I also sprinkle lime juice and zest over the cantaloupe cubes, along with sea salt and Aleppo pepper. That’s it! I find that this combo can make up for a less than perfect melon.
Thanks, Liz. I did Google it and found a few variations, but I’ll stick with your version – it’s delish!