ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TART                back to home

4 servings

This easy tasty tart is  pretty much straight out of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food/Great Food Fast. She called for 1 1/2 pounds of the green stalks- which i thought made the tart too heavy so I’ve scaled that back some. This is amazingly simple and full of flavor. I stumbled upon a video of the making of this tart- check it out!

1 sheet frozen puff pastry- thawed according to box directions

2 cups gruyere cheese -shredded

12-16 stalks of asparagus- depending on thickness

olive oil

salt and pepper

flour for the work surface

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface roll the puff pastry into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Or if you have a rectangle tart pan, roll it to fit.

Place the rolled pastry on a baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score the pastry about 1 inch from the edges to mark a rectangle. This allows the outer edge to rise above the tart bottom- creating a lip. Prick the dough, inside the markings at about 1/2 inch intervals with a fork. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until a light golden brown.

While the tart shell is baking wash and trim the asparagus- breaking off the woody ends at their natural breaking point. Shred the cheese.

Remove the puff pastry from the oven and evenly sprinkle the bottom of the shell with the gruyere. Arrange the asparagus spears crosswise on the tart- single layer- not too crowded-alternating ends and tips. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Return to oven for about another 20 minutes until asparagus is tender and the cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve warm or room temp.