Super Simple Asparagus Tart

After a bit of a rough start weather wise to Spring, we’re finally getting that delightful mix of Spring thunderstorms, sunshine and lovely temperatures. The combination of rain and sunshine has brought all the signs of Spring, including an amazing asparagus bounty!

Now, I’ve never had a green thumb, so I can’t take any credit for the fresh asparagus around here. We were lucky to be gifted a HUGE bag of asparagus from our neighbor, Zoe. I’ve been working tried and true HIH asparagus recipes into our meals and testing some new! This super simple asparagus tart is easier to make than it is beautiful and delicious. Which is saying a lot because it’s a show stopper when it comes out of the oven and tastes AMAZING.

I’d call this a semi-scratch recipe. More than anything, you’re just assembling great prepared grocery store ingredients to serve as the supporting cast for the start of the show, the fresh asparagus. I won’t go as far as to say it’s so easy I could make this blind folded with one hand tied behind my back, but it’s darn close! If you don’t fancy yourself a cook, this could be the recipe for you!

Recipe Evolution

A couple of weeks ago I found this Alouette garlic and herb spreadable cheese next to the Boursin cheese at the grocery store. You might remember Boursin cheese from the HIH Best Roast Beef Sandwich post. I highly recommend picking up both if you’re already in the specialty cheese aisle. I’d never seen it before, but I knew at minimum it would be delicious spread on a cracker, so I picked it up. When Zoe gifted us this bounty of asparagus, I immediately knew I wanted to pair the two together.

Frozen puff pastry is one of those grocery store purchases I never regret. I’ve always got a box or two in the freezer. If I ever need to create something that looks like I put a lot of effort into, but I’m short on time, it’s puff pastry to the rescue. Since I was also planning to use a great grocery store find in the garlic herb spreadable cheese, I figured it would be a great time to utilize another time saving ready to roll ingredient. Puff pastry was the perfect fit!

I also had some prosciutto in the fridge; which is found in the same section as the Alouette, and a classic pairing with asparagus. It had to find it’s way into this recipe. Prosciutto is the “cherry on top,” adding some salty porky goodness. In the end, I knew I needed another flavor for balance. It took few tries to get to the final recipe perfect. I tried adding red pepper flakes for some spice and honey for sweetness. Finally, I tried lemon zest and it was the perfect finish to the tart. It took some trial and error to get this one right, but I know you’re going to LOVE the end result.

Keys to Success

1. Score carefully. When scoring the outside border, you’ll want to be careful not to go all the way through the puff pastry dough. If you slice all the way through, you’ll end up with a rectangle donut situation. About 3/4 of the way through should be perfect to create the border. Scoring the border gives you more control over where the puff pastry is puffy. The layers of the puff pastry are created by steam building. Scoring and poking allows the steam to escape so you only get puff where you want puff.
2. Use skinny asparagus. Save the big boys for roasting or other applications. You’ll want the skinnier stalks for this recipe so all ingredients cook correctly in the same amount of time. If you only have thicker stalks, you can halve them so ensure the asparagus is cooks and gets tender before the puff pastry burns.
3. Rotate and watch for burning. Everyone’s oven is different. My oven will burn the back half before the front half is finished baking, so I always take the time to turn. No matter how even your oven cooks I recommend rotating to ensure even browning. Puff pastry can go from golden brown to burnt very quickly, so keep an eye on it towards the end of the baking time.
4. I can’t find the Alouette spreadable cheese! I assume if I can find an ingredient out here in rural America, most people can find it where they grocery shop. If you can’t find this ingredient, an herbed ricotta cheese or goat cheese in the same amount would work great. You could also combine herb garlic Boursin cheese with some cream cheese so it’s more spreadable. I’ve used these substitutes in similar applications, so I can be confident these substitutes won’t do you dirty.