A Simple and Elegant Asparagus Tart with Puff Pastry and Cheese
This asparagus tart is a delicious way to celebrate spring and impress your guests. It features fresh asparagus, creamy cheese, and flaky puff pastry crust, all baked to golden perfection. You can make it in less than an hour with minimal hands-on time. Watch the video to see how easy it is!
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed)
- 8 ounces of cream cheese (softened)
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chives (finely chopped)
- 1 ½ tablespoons of fresh tarragon
- 2 ½ ounces of gruyere cheese (grated)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch of asparagus (pencil-sized)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry to a ¼ inch thickness, about 11 x 13 or 12 x 12 inches. Prick the dough all over with a fork. For a thicker crust, cut off 1-inch strips from each side of the dough and set them aside. Par bake the crust for 18 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Let it cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, dijon, lemon zest, chives, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Spread it evenly over the cooled pastry crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the gruyere cheese over the cream cheese layer. If using the extra dough strips, brush the border with egg wash and place the strips on top, pressing gently to adhere. Brush the top of the strips with egg wash as well.
- Trim the asparagus spears to fit on your tart and toss them with a little olive oil. Arrange them on top of the cheese layer in a single layer. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the asparagus is tender and the cheese is bubbly.
- Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature.
