Find yourself with a bunch of asparagus spears from your local farmers market? Here is a super easy asparagus spring tart recipe plus more that you can make today.
Asparagus season means spring is here. It also means longer sunny days and the start of warmer weather. What’s not love?
I’m happy to report that I have located asparagus at the farmers market. You might be wondering why that’s even a big deal. Since the start of social distancing the farmers market experience has changed. One of the most notable is the amount of vendors. Not all of them are able to operate fully during this time. For the vendors that are still selling at the market I noticed that sometimes there’s quite less produce available. The most available produce I’m seeing are apples, fresh greens, onions, and tomatoes. After a little digging I found vendor that sold 3/4 lb bunches asparagus.
With my bunches of asparagus I set out to create an easy asparagus spring tart. This recipe is perfect for someone who wants a fancy recipe that actually simple with minimal ingredients.
How to Make a Spring Asparagus Tart
Prep the tart by defrosting the puff pastry. Take the frozen puff pastry and transfer to the fridge. I like to let my pastry sit in the fridge overnight. Once thawed unfold pastry on parchment paper ( add a little flour first before unfolding the pastry to help flatten it out). Use a rolling pin to thin the pastry a bit but still maintain its rectangular shape. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Use a sharp knife, lightly cut a line about 3/4th to an 1 inch away from the edge to form a rectangle. Pierce the middle of pastry all over (don’t go past the line). Transfer puff pastry onto a baking sheet and cook in over for 15 minutes.
Tip: The pastry will still be puffy but you should be able to see where the line was previously cut.
Remove from oven and let rest for about 2 minutes. The pastry should start to deflate a bit. Spread the balsamic vinegar first and then sprinkle the gruyrere cheese (in the middle, not the edges). Cut the asparagus spears to fit the width of the pastry. Line the asparagus length wise on top of the cheese. Brush a little olive oil on top of the pastry. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let cook for a couple minutes and enjoy.
Storage +Tips
When you return from the market with your asparagus try not just throw it in the fridge unless you plan on using it right away. Wash your asparagus but don’t cut the ends just yet (wait until you are ready to cook). Place asparagus in a clean jar or tall cup along with 1-2 inches of water (cut side down/submerged in water). The asparagus can last almost 2 weeks!
Thin asparagus spears work best for this tart. Although you can certainly use thicker ones it’s quicker to cook and easier to chew/ cut when using thin spears.
The pastry will come out of the oven very inflated. Don’t worry, it should deflate a but after removing from the oven. The line around the edges will help define and separate the crust from the where the cheese and asparagus will go. Just continue with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and finish the recipe. It should all come together to make a beautiful tart.
This tart in my opinion is best eaten immediately. I wouldn’t recommend re-heating but if you don’t devour it and there are left overs you can certainly save it for later.
Need More Asparagus Recipes?
Roasted Asparagus
Balsamic Roasted New Potatoes with Asparagus
Blackened Shrimp and Asparagus
Roasted Garlic and Asparagus Soup
Spring Asparagus Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1.5 cups Gruyere cheese grated
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the thawed puff pastry onto the parchment paper.
- Use a fork pierce or dock the pastry in the middle (except for the edges of the puff pastry, leave an 1 inch border around the edges that is not docked).
- Bake puff pastry in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Using the back of the fork, light press down in the middle of the puff pastry to deflate. Do not press near the border. Only press down where the docking was done on the pastry.
- Brush the balsmic vinegar on the puff pasty (in the middle, not the border). Sprinkled the Gruyere cheese onto the pastry (not the edges). Trim the asparagus spears ends to match the length of the pastry. Line the asparagus spears in the middle to form the pastry.
- Return to oven. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the pastry becomes golden brown. Keep an eye on the tart while cooking.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Slice and serve.
