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Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart | Taste and Tipple

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart

With Spring arriving later this week, it's time to start thinking seasonally. This Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart is the perfect celebration of nature's bounty and is perfectly-suited to meatless Monday or Easter brunch.

Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Asparagus, Brunch, Easter, Goat Cheese, Puff Pastry, Tart
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg frozen pre-rolled puff pastry sheets thawed
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 lbs asparagus
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 8 oz soft goat cheese
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
  • 2 tsp finely chopped tarragon
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup finely grated pecorino
  • Finely chopped chives for garnish

Instructions

  1. 1 Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. 2 Unroll both sheets of puff pastry. Arrange on parchment with 1 end of 1 sheet overlapping the other by about ½ inch. Brush edges with beaten egg and seal well.
  3. 3 Brush a ½-inch border of beaten egg all around the rectangle of pastry. Fold in edges by ½ inch and brush folded border with beaten egg. Prick pastry all over with a fork, avoiding border.
  4. 4 Bake until pastry is starting to turn golden, about 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes.
  5. 5 Remove pastry from oven and slide pastry, along with parchment, onto a wire rack. Gently press down on pastry with back of a spoon to flatten. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  6. 6 Trim asparagus by snapping off ends of stalks where they break naturally. Discard ends. Trim stalks so all are 4 inches long (reserve cut bits for soups or stir‑fries).
  7. 7 In a large skillet of boiling salted water, blanch asparagus for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Spread asparagus out in a single layer between 2 clean tea towels. Pat dry.
  8. 8 Increase oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, with a fork mix together goat cheese, chives, tarragon and pepper to taste.
  9. 9 Slide pastry, along with parchment, back onto baking sheet. Crumble goat cheese mixture evenly over pastry, avoiding border. Arrange asparagus in 2 even rows on top of goat cheese. Brush asparagus with oil, then sprinkle evenly with pecorino.
  10. 10 Bake until cheeses have melted and edges of pastry are deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, then slide onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with chives. Use a pizza cutter to cut into slices or squares.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from: Aitken, Julia. "Asparagus and Tarragon-Goat Cheese Tart." Food & Drink. Spring 2017.