I made this Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart because, to me, nothing says “spring” like beautiful fresh asparagus.

The best way to store asparagus is to trim the bottoms off of the stems then place them in a glass of water, just like you’d do with a bouquet of flowers. Place the glass in the refrigerator if you have room. Since I was using mine within a day I just kept them on the kitchen counter.

This tart is super easy to make and looks very elegant on the table. The whole thing comes together quickly and bakes in a matter of minutes.

The base of the tart is a buttery, flaky pie crust. My recipe for pie crust is easy to make and very easy to handle. If you have a favorite recipe of course you can use that, or use a store-bought crust if that’s your preference.

I baked this tart in a beautiful rectangular tart pan. I like the way the asparagus tips look all lined up in the pan. I laid the spears out with the tips alternating to either side to fit as many in the pan as possible. I used the bottoms of the spears to make Asparagus Soup. Waste not, want not!

Try to get thin and tender spears for this dish so they can cook through while the tart bakes. If the spears you use are very thick you might want to briefly steam them to get them partially cooked before putting them on the tart.

The balsamic glaze adds a sweet richness at the end and works well with the earthy goat cheese filling.

This Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart would be the perfect starter for a springtime dinner party. It could also be served as a light lunch, or for brunch with a couple of poached eggs on the side and maybe a few prosciutto crisps. Serve it warm or at room temperature.

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Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

A flakey pastry crust filled with goat cheese and topped with fresh asparagus. A balsamic drizzle is the perfect finishing touch.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 Recipe Perfect Pie Crust

Filling

• 6 oz soft goat cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Assembly

• 1 Bunch (1#) Asparagus Spears, trimmed to fit your tart pan (reserve the trimming to make Asparagus Soup)

balsamic glaze

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Roll the dough to 1/8" thick to fit the proportions of your removeable bottom tart pan
2. Reserve dough scraps to repair cracks in the baked tart shell
3. Rest the tart shell in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour before baking
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F regular
5. Prick the bottom of the tart shell a few times with a fork
6. Bake the tart shell until the dough is baked and just beginning to brown
7. Remove the tart shell from the oven and reduce the temperature by 25°F.
8. If any cracks have formed in the tart shell use the dough scraps to fill them in

Filling

1. Soften the goat cheese to a smooth paste with a spatula or the paddle on your mixer
2. Add the cream and mix to a smooth paste
3. Add the eggs and whisk until the mixture resembles pancake batter
4. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon zest.
5. Adjust the seasoning to your taste
6. Pour the filling into the pre-baked tart shell
7. Arrange the asparagus tips in an attractive pattern on the filling, don't push them into the filling
8. Bake until the filling is set and the asparagus is beginning to brown, about 10-15 min
9. If the top of the tart looks pale, run it under the broiler for a minute to brown

Glaze

1. While the tart is baking, simmer the balsamic vinegar in a non-stick pan until it's reduced to a thick syrup
2. Drizzle the glaze over the tart.
3. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes

The tart is best the day it's made, but leftovers can be refrigerated for several days.

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