Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart

It’s Spring and the asparagus are in abundance. I’m always looking for another way to cook these bright green spears. This recipe makes the cut.

Ingredients:

4 oz soft goat cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature

1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced

1½ Tbl chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus more for serving

½ Tbl finely grated lemon zest

½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

2 tsp Garlic and Herb Seasoning

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup crème fraîche, at room temperature

All-purpose flour, for dusting the work surface

1 sheet or square all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen

8 oz thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed

2 tsp. Lemon Basil Extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbl grated Parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

Red-pepper flakes

½ cup Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 °.  In a medium bowl, use a fork or a wooden spoon to mash together the goat cheese, egg, garlic, tarragon, lemon zest, salt, garlic and herb seasoning and nutmeg until smooth. Switch to a whisk and beat in the crème fraîche until smooth.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into a 13-by-11-inch rectangle about ⅛-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score a ½-inch border around the edges of the puff pastry.

Spread the crème fraîche mixture evenly inside the scored border. Line up the asparagus spears on top, and brush them with Lemon Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sprinkle some salt and the grated Parmesan over the asparagus.

Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool on the cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving. Then sprinkle black pepper, red-pepper flakes, the shaved Parmesan and tarragon leaves. Drizzle a little oil on top.

Ahead of time:

You can assemble the tart 1 day in advance; but reserve the sprinkling of salt and grated Parmesan until right before baking. Loosely cover the tart and store it in the refrigerator until it's time to bake.