Aren't there some foods that seem naturally fancy? That no matter what you do to them, they lend a certain elegance to the final meal? A friend told me a little while ago about a time when she was going to a dinner and her 9 year old daughter told her to bring back a chocolate covered strawberry. My friend said she didn't know if there would even be chocolate covered strawberries there, and her daughter answered, "Isn't Jana doing the dinner? She's fancy. Of course there will be chocolate covered strawberries." Case closed. I love the way kids draw conclusions.
I do agree with the idea that some foods just naturally seem elegant. Two of these for me are puff pastry and asparagus, so put them both together and this tart is in the realm of parasols and tea time with William and Kate in my mind. The fact that these tarts are easy to make doesn't detract from their fanciness at all to me. It just makes me love them more. Puff pastry, if you haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, is just about the most magical thing in the world. This sheet of dough that you can buy in the freezer section of a regular grocery store bakes into the prettiest, puffiest layers of flaky crust and buttery goodness. It makes the perfect, easy crust for the ricotta mixture and asparagus. With very little hands-on time you can have an impressive-looking, impressive-tasting tart that would be perfect for Easter brunch, an appetizer, or a side dish with a soup.
All elegant, of course.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed according to package directions (There are two sheets in one package. You can find puff pastry in the freezer section, usually near the pies.)
- 1 large egg, beaten, for crust
- 1 large egg, for filling
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
Directions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower position and hear oven to 375 degrees. Unfold each pastry sheet one at a time and, using a rolling pin, roll each pastry slightly to smooth out the seams and increase the size.
- Lay each pastry sheet onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each pastry with the beaten egg. Fold the edges on opposite sites of the tart over by about 1/2 inch and brush with beaten egg. Repeat with remaining two edges and brush with egg. Fold the first two sides over once more and brush with beaten egg. Use a paring knife to cut through the folded edges and corners. (See photos below) Prick the inside of the tart shell repeatedly with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. (If the middle of the pastry has puffed up at all during cooking, push it back down. It's easier to do this before it cools.)
- Turn oven down to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat together egg, ricotta, cream, milk, salt and pepper. Pour half of the mixture into each baked tart. Lay half the asparagus on top of the ricotta mixture in each tart. Bake another 15-20 minutes or until golden and set. Serve hot or cold.
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 30-40 min Serves: 6-8
Recipe souece: adapted from America's Test Kitchen and Sweet Paul magazine
