A simple side we can almost call fancy.
It’s visually appealing, it’s tasty and it’s easy to prepare, that’s what asparagus tart with cheese is all about. Tender spears of asparagus laid out on a bed of buttery puff pastry. Finished with melted cheese it makes for a pretty fine side dish. It goes with pretty much anything but steak is probably one of our favourite main courses to have with this.
When you’re wandering around the grocery store and you stumble across asparagus you should grab a bunch and think about giving this a try. Especially if it’s one of those aisle ending sales where you don’t need it but wow it’s so cheap. So when you make it over to the frozen section, get a box of butter puff pastry. That brings me to the next section.
What do I need to make an asparagus tart with cheese?
- Asparagus bunch (about 1 lb)
- 1 (225g pkg) Butter puff pastry
- ¾ cup of Mozzarella
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tbsp milk
It’s a pretty small list, mostly staples.
Thaw the pastry
The first thing you are going to have to do is thaw out the puff pastry. If you have enough time, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Otherwise thaw it on the kitchen counter until you can unroll it without cracking. When it is unrolled, put it on a greased pan or line the pan with parchment paper.
Steam the asparagus
Steam the asparagus until it’s just tender. It should be ready in less than five minutes. Plunge it in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Finally, lay the spears out on a tea towel to dry.
Prep the pastry
At this stage, you’re going to brush the pastry with dijon mustard. Try to leave a one inch perimeter around the edge without any mustard. Arrange the asparagus end to end on the pastry, again, leaving an inch around the edge. That will give a nice puffy rim around the edge, just like a pizza. Combine the milk with a beaten egg and brush the mixture onto the rim. Cover the asparagus with grated mozzarella and freshly ground black pepper.
Bake at 375℉
Bake the asparagus tart in a preheated oven at 375℉ for 15-20 minutes. The pastry should be golden brown, puffed around the edges and the cheese melted.
Asparagus Tart
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus
- ¾ cup mozzarella grated
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 egg
- ½ tbsp milk
- 1 225 g puff pastry (butter)
Instructions
- Steam asparagus until just tender. Approximately 3-4 minutes. Chill in cold water and dry.
- On a greased pan (or lined with parchment paper), unroll 1 sheet (225g) of puff pastry. Brush pastry with mustard leaving 1″ around the perimeter.Arrange the asparagus, alternating end to end on the mustard/dough.
- Spread mozzarella and pepper evenly over the asparagus.
- Beat egg with the milk and brush on the 1″ perimeter of the pastry.
- Convection bake at 350℉, or normal bake at 375℉ for approx. 15-20 minutes. Pastry should be puffed, golden brown and cheese melted.
Notes
In summary
I can go on and on about how the asparagus pairs so well with mozzarella and the dijon mustard enhances the flavours of asparagus bringing an acid like finish. I’m not. What I will say is that asparagus tart is an absolutely delicious side that is easy to make. It looks pretty fine too. It goes with pretty much any meat and potatoes dish. No I wouldn’t have it with spaghetti, but it I would park it beside a nice grilled steak.
