Aunt Martha’s Asparagus Tart
Some of our fans asked us to publish this recipe.
We’re always testing recipes at ‘Kids and a Cook’, developing our own originals and trying out other people’s creations. It’s a great way to keep learning and finding inspiration in what you’re cooking. You’ll figure out pretty quickly why I named this tart after ‘Aunt Martha’. (By the way, I do not biologically have an Aunt Martha). But I did adapt the recipe from her new cookbook. And Aunt Martha does put out some pretty good recipes — so hats off to her and her crew. We did make a few changes to the original recipe.
I made this Asparagus tart the other night and it was a fabulous side dish. Sort of like a flaky vegetable pizza. It’s a light and delicate appetizer or side dish.
What makes this work is the puff pastry dough and asparagus spears which you shave into thin strips with a vegetable peeler. The shaved asparagus might be a more enticing way for kids to try to eat something green rather than offering them the plain old spear. And putting Parmesan cheese on top never hurt anything either.
The method is pretty easy too, offering plenty of opportunity for kids to help out by prepping the dough, shaving the asparagus or grating the cheese.
Asparagus is part of the lily family and a perennial plant. It’s a nutrient dense food rich in Folic Acid, Potassium, Fiber, Vitamin A, C, B6, and Thiamin. It is grown across the globe. Once established in it’s planting bed the rhizome will produce stalks for 10 to 15 years. Amazingly a stalk can grow 8 to 10 inches in 24 hours.
Ingredients:
· 1 Sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed (about 14 oz.)
· 1 large egg, beaten
· 10 Asparagus spears, trimmed and shaved into thin strips. They’ll curl up. That’s part of the appeal.
· 2 Tsp. Olive Oil
· Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
· ½ – ¾ Cups grated Parmesan and Romano (use a blend of the two) Cheese
· 1/8 tsp Grated Nutmeg (or a few swipes of fresh Nutmeg)
Roll out the pastry dough on top of a Silpat, or parchment paper, until smooth and the creases are gone. Score a 1 inch border around the square (that will help it rise higher on the edges). Transfer the dough– by carrying it on the Silpat or parchment paper–to a cookie sheet or a pizza stone. Then brush the edges of the border with the beaten egg.
Bake the rolled out pastry dough for about 10 minutes until it begins to brown in a pre-heated oven set at 400 degrees. It will puff up pretty high, don’t panic — use a spatula to push the center back down, leaving the border puffed up (hence the need for the score mark you put in earlier).
While you are baking the dough, shave the asparagus into a bowl and coat with the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. It gets difficult to shave the stalks completely, so shave as much as you can and then toss the remainder in the bowl. If your family really likes asparagus, toss in the tips– keeping the florets whole. (Otherwise the florets are great in a salad or with pasta tomorrow).
If you have one –grate a few swipes of fresh nutmeg over the bowl full of asparagus otherwise add the 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg when you add the Salt & Pepper.
Scatter the prepped asparagus over the compressed pastry dough and return to the oven for another 8 –10 minutes, making sure everything begins to get crisp and not burnt.
Then top with the cheese and return to the oven (only for a few minutes) to melt the cheese into all the vegetable matter and pastry dough. Let cool for a few minutes and serve.
