What to serve with a pea and asparagus tart?

Serve this pea and asparagus tart as light lunch, an appetizer to friends or as a social meal (also called a picky plate). Pair with a spring soup, a charcuterie board of cured meats and cheeses.

When is asparagus in season?

In Ontario asparagus is ready from May to the end of June.

How much asparagus to cut/trim off?

Although it’s fine to consume the entire asparagus stalk itself, some find the ends a bit too woody to enjoy so they are trimmed off. Simply use your hands and break the stalk where it easily wants to break, this is where the woody part will end. It’s best to do one stalk at a time as every stock will be different. If you don’t mind a bit of woodiness in the ends, use a knife and trim 1-2 inches of the asparagus.

Pea and Asparagus Spring Tart Recipe

Pea and Asparagus Spring Tart

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This tart is perfect for spring! It’s made with puff pastry which makes it crisp and buttery and then it’s filled with fresh peas and asparagus, making it a perfect appetizer for sharing (or for a light lunch).

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: feeds 4
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Canadian

Ingredients

Units Scale

320g all-butter puff pastry ( or one package puff pastry)
1–2 Tablespoons milk, for brushing the pastry
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed
1 large leek, sliced (white and light green part only)
1/4 cup peas
1 garlic clove
bunch of fresh parsley, stems trimmed
1/2 of a fresh lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup smooth ricotta cheese, (approximately)

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Unroll the puff pastry onto a large baking sheet or onto parchment paper and using a rolling pin roll out into a large rectangle approx. 8″ x 10″. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score a smaller rectangle into the pastry, leaving a 1″ border (this is where you are making the crust layout for your pastry). Brush the entire puff pastry with milk and bake in the centre of an oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and pastry has puffed up. Set the pastry base aside.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the asparagus and leeks together for 3 minutes (just until they are starting to cook through). Remove asparagus and leeks with a slotted spoon and cool under cold running water, then pat dry. Keep the pot of water boiling and add peas, cook for 2-3 minutes until they float to the surface. Drain and run cold water over peas, pat dry and set aside.
To make the filling, add cooked leeks to a food processor, a handful of fresh parsley (approx. 1/4 cup) 1 medium to large garlic clove and pulse to chop. Add fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 Tablespoon) and salt and pepper to taste. You don’t want the filling to be completely pureed, just chopped making sure there are no large garlic pieces.
Heat a griddle pan or bbq until hot, then add a little oil and char the asparagus for approx. 1 minute until the asparagus has sear marks all over. Remove from the heat.
To assemble the tart, use your hands to push the middle rectangle of the pastry down, leaving the raised border. Spoon chunks of ricotta and leek filling over the bottom. Top with the charred asparagus and peas. Add a few more dollops of ricotta then garnish with the rest of the parsley leaves, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Enjoy immediately.

Notes

Once toppings are assembled on the puff pastry consume the tart the same day. You can make the puff pastry a day or two ahead and when ready, add toppings to enjoy. Store baked puff pastry in an air tight container at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 338
Sugar: 2.9g
Sodium: 183mg
Fat: 21.6g
Saturated Fat: 3.5g
Unsaturated Fat: 0
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 30.1g
Fiber: 2.1g
Protein: 6.7g
Cholesterol: 6mg

Find it online: https://bakingforfriends.com/pea-and-asparagus-tart/