ASPARAGUS & GOAT'S CHEESE TART
Savor the flavors of spring with this Asparagus & Goat's Cheese Tart! Tender roasted asparagus and tangy goat cheese combine in a flaky, golden crust. Perfect for a light lunch or impressive starter, it's easy to make and undeniably delicious.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pastry: (or use 250g ready-made shortcrust pastry)
- 7.9 oz plain flour plus extra to dust (I used spelt flour)
- 4.2 oz cold butter, cut into large dice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 medium egg yolk
- Up to a tablespoon of ice cold water or as needed
For the filling:
- 10.5 oz fresh asparagus
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
- 2 tbsp grated lemon zest
- Olive oil
- 4 free-range eggs
- 3.3 fl oz double heavy cream
- About 7 oz crumbled goat's cheese chevre, or other cheese if preferred
- Sea salt and fresh pepper
Instructions
- To make the pastry, add the flour into a food processor along with the butter and salt and pulse a few seconds until it resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolk and process for a few seconds until it begins to clump (if it doesn’t do this, add in a few drops of cold water until it starts coming together (to test if it’s ready, pinch some of the mixture between your fingers – it should hold). Dump the crumbly mixture onto the kitchen counter and bring together with your hands (don’t knead it as you don’t want to overwork it). Form into a thick disc, wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
- Wash the asparagus then snap off the woody ends and discard. Place asparagus in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and rub the garlic cloves and lemon zest over top so the spears are well coated.
- Lightly grease a rectangular tart tin with a little oil.
- Take the pastry out of the fridge. Roll out on a lightly floured board and line the rectangular tart tin with it (to avoid shrinkage, I leave an overlap of pastry and only trim the edges once it’s been blind-baked). Prick the base in several places with a fork, then line with baking or parchment paper and fill with baking beans or dried lentils.
- Put both the prepared asparagus and the tart shell in the oven alongside each other and bake for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk in the cream. Put aside.
- Take the asparagus out of the oven and keep it to one side. Then take the tart shell out of the oven and carefully tip out the baking beans or lentils and lift out the paper. Put the tart shell back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Take the tart shell out of the oven again and place the roasted asparagus into the tart. Pour the egg/cream mixture over top, then add the grated or crumbled cheese over top. Season with a little sea salt and pepper.
- Bake the filled tart for a further 15 minutes, until it is bubbling and golden. Leave to cool slightly and serve in slices. Alternatively, you can eat it at room temperature.
Notes
You can easily substitute spelt flour for the wheat flour in the crust. I used the same volumes and it worked fine.
You can substitute grated cheddar cheese or any other preferred cheese instead of the goat’s cheese if you prefer
You can substitute grated cheddar cheese or any other preferred cheese instead of the goat’s cheese if you prefer
Nutrition
Calories: 2313kcalCarbohydrates: 176gProtein: 52gFat: 156gSaturated Fat: 91gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 43gTrans Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1216mgSodium: 1055mgPotassium: 624mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5636IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 14mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how if you liked it in the comments below!