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  1. Wednesday, May 8, 2013

    Asparagus and Spring Onion Tart

    One of the delicious dishes we were treated to at our latest book club was an asparagus and spring onion tart, as made my dear friend Barbara.

    asparagus and spring onion tart from @janemaynard

    LOVED THIS TART. The “shortcrust” was delicious, the top had a pleasant chewiness thanks to a melted Parmesan cheese, and all the flavors blended really nicely together. Of course we all begged for the recipe. Barbara had found the recipe in the latest issue of Vegetarian Times, which she happily shared. She’s not one to keep secrets when it comes to good food!

    You all may be wondering (as I am) what the difference between a quiche and a tart is. If anyone has a good answer, please feel free to share! Tarts may be savory or sweet, while quiche are savory, but beyond that their “official” definitions are almost identical. So, I say just call it whatever you want!

    Asparagus and Spring Onion Tart
     
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    Savory and delicious!
    Author:
    Recipe type: Main Dish
    Ingredients
    • Shortcrust
    • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ⅛ tsp. salt
    • 6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (I just use salted butter)
    • 2 large eggs, divided
    • Filling
    • ½ pound trimmed asparagus spears
    • 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
    • 2 cups spring or green onions
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1½ cups whole milk or heavy cream
    • 1 ounce (1/4 cup) grated fresh parmesan cheese (I might use a bit more myself)
    Instructions
    1. Shortcrust:
    2. Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. (Jane note: I use my pastry blender.) Beat 1 egg and 2 Tbs water in a small bowl. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until dough comes together, adding 1 Tbs. more water if needed. Flatten dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour (up to 1 day).
    3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 12-inch circle on floured surface. Press dough into 9-inch springform pan or fluted tart pan with removable bottom. (Jane note: Barbara baked and served her tart in a pretty fluted dish without a removable bottom. It worked very well.) Trim edges, prick bottom all over with a fork. Line tart shell with parchment paper and fill with dried beans. Bake 25 minutes or until barely golden. Remove beans and paper. Beat remaining egg and brush on bottom of crust. Bake 5 minutes more.
    4. Filling:
    5. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water 3 minutes. Drain and cut into 1¼-inch lengths. Heat oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, cook 8-10 minutes until softened. Remove from heat. Whisk together eggs and milk in bowl. Stir in onions and asparagus.
    6. Pour filling into shortcrust and place pan on a baking sheet. (Jane note: line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.) Sprinkle tart with parmesan cheese. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until tart is set in the middle and top is browned well. Cover edges of crust with foil if they start to brown too much before the tart is done. Pop out of pan and serve.

     

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:16 am   4 Comments
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