Easy Asparagus Tart

I've had a single sheet of puff pastry sitting in my freezer for like 3 months. I used one sheet for some peach turnovers and haven't thought of a way to use the second sheet in the box. I was looking over my grocery list and lamenting the fact that I love asparagus, but I often don't manage to use a whole bunch before it goes bad because I'm usually only cooking for one, and I tend to overbuy vegetables in general because they're so fresh and pretty and yummy. Then, when I was in the cheese section at Trader Joe's, it came to me. Asparagus tart! It'll use up that piece of puff pastry AND the extra asparagus from ANOTHER recipe I'll probably be blogging about later this week. Plus, any excuse to use Gruyere is gravy.

I'm sure there are a bajillion versions of this out there, but it's super simple and tasty. It's also great as a meal, an appetizer, or even a side, depending on how big you cut the pieces. Great vegetarian option too. You could use all Gruyere if you want, but I think it's a little strong in that amount, so I mix it with baby Swiss. Plus, Gruyere is like...4 times more expensive, so mixing it up is a good way to get the Gruyere taste without piling like $15 worth of it on there.

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry
1 cup shredded baby Swiss (you could totally use regular swiss, but it's not quite as soft so it doesn't melt the same way)
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere
about 8 oz asparagus (about 2/3 of a bunch - try to get thinner ones so they cook faster)
olive oil for drizzling
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly flour work surface and roll thawed puff pastry out to around 10x14 (you'll really only have to roll it lengthwise, since the width is already about right). Trim edges to make them even, if you want. Using a sharp knife, trace a border about an inch from the edge. Don't push all the way through the pastry. Inside the border, poke the pastry with a fork about every half inch or so.



2. Place pastry on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. You might want to put down a piece of parchment. I didn't have any, so I didn't bother, but it does make it a bit easier.



3. Mix shredded cheese together and spread inside the border on the pastry. Cut asparagus to fit the width of the inside section and line up head to toe, as it were. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.



4. Bake until asparagus is tender, about 20-25 minutes. (This is sort of why you'll want to use asparagus on the thinner side - you want them to cook before the puff pastry burns. If the pasty does start to burn, lightly cover the border with aluminum foil.)



5. Cut with a pizza wheel. If you're looking for it to be a main, cut it in 4-6 pieces. For a side, 6-8 pieces. For an appetizer, I dunno, however many you want. I used it as a side, and paired it with some parmesan crusted chicken I made yesterday and an arugula salad with mini heirloom tomatoes and shaved parmesan. TASTY!




MEDIA PAIRING:

I was going to post a music video by a J-Pop band that is actually called Asparagus, but instead, I'm posting this video of a father inexplicably pelting his son with asparagus...apparently it has something to do with knocking out a loose tooth? He's very proud of his "short film."