Straightforward Upside Down Sheet-Pan Asparagus Tart Recipe

Try my tagline on the homepage of Severe Eats, and also you’ll know that I like all greens. However what veggie tops my listing at any given time has loads to do with what’s in season within the rising areas close to New York Metropolis, the place I stay. And within the spring, I’m all about asparagus. I find it irresistible in easy preparations, corresponding to grilled or sautéed and topped with chili crisp, simply barely steamed within the microwave and doused with freshly squeezed lemon juice, and roasted in loads of olive oil so it will get crispy and brown, then sprinkled with flaky sea salt. However proper now, my favourite approach to eat asparagus is on this stunning tart created by seasoned recipe developer Melissa Grey.

Eye-catching vegetable tarts are a typical sight on social media, however simply because one thing seems good does not imply it is scrumptious. When the Severe Eats crew requested Melissa to develop this recipe, we had a really particular requirement: Lovely is nice, however this must be ok to eat with our mouths, not simply our eyes. Too typically most of these vegetable tart lack cohesion, collapse simply, or rapidly develop soggy.

Melissa’s result’s this attractive tart with completely cooked, shiny asparagus, aromatic thyme, creamy goat cheese, and shiny lemon zest, all topped with buttery, flaky store-bought puff pastry and baked on a single pan, then flipped over to slice and serve.

The entire thing comes collectively in lower than an hour, and that’s counting unattended baking time and making the beautiful chevron sample with the asparagus—however actually, this tart tastes simply nearly as good should you merely line the asparagus up in a single layer on the pan, so should you can’t be bothered with chevroning, don’t let that cease you from making this tart.

The tart is easy sufficient to make for a weeknight, however it will additionally make a beautiful dish for entertaining, corresponding to for a spring vacation like Easter or Mom’s Day. Simply add a salad on the facet and crack open a bottle of white wine—bubbles elective. Learn on for particulars on the precise steps Melissa took to make this tart a winner on all fronts and for the total recipe. 

5 Suggestions for Nailing This Springy Asparagus Tart

1. Cook dinner the wrong way up. There’s no must blanch the asparagus forward of time on this recipe for the reason that pastry acts like a lid and steams the asparagus because the pastry crisps. This inverted cooking methodology additionally ensures each that the asparagus does not dry out and shrivel up within the oven’s warmth because it cooks, and that the puff pastry has an opportunity to crisp effectively on the underside and never change into soggy from asparagus juices.
2. Select skinny asparagus. We love the flavour of fats asparagus when steamed or grilled, however skinny asparagus are essential to make sure fast and even cooking of this tart with none par-cooking step. It’s additionally simpler to rearrange skinny asparagus in a chevron sample on the tart. For this recipe, you’ll reduce every stalk into three-inch items to create the chevron design. Don’t toss any leftover items whenever you reduce the asparagus—save them to make use of to fill in gaps. 
3. Draw an overview to your tart. Earlier than assembling the tart, draw an overview for it on parchment paper with a unhazardous marker or a pencil, then flip the parchment over so the ink facet faces the sheet pan. This visible information will provide help to lay out the substances to create a pleasant sq. tart. 
4. Use cheese “glue” and press down to ensure the tart holds collectively. “You see a variety of these recipes on the web, however oftentimes the the wrong way up objects simply fall off through the flip,” Melissa explains. “Right here we’ve performed two issues to try to assist this. First, by inserting the cheese in between the asparagus and the pastry we put an edible glue of types, because the cheese softens and adheres the asparagus and pastry collectively. Second, we press the pastry on prime of the asparagus. Numerous viral recipes merely place the substances, however you lose the purpose of contact with the the wrong way up merchandise and because the pastry bakes you’ll by no means be capable of get that again.” 
5. Don’t overlook to defrost your puff pastry. Retailer-bought puff pastry is considered one of our favourite comfort merchandise, and it’s fairly simple to work with, so long as you keep in mind to defrost it. It sometimes takes only a few hours to defrost within the fridge, however to be on the protected facet, we suggest transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the evening earlier than you need to make the tart. We love the buttery taste of Dufour, however different manufacturers, corresponding to available Pepperidge Farm, additionally work effectively. For this recipe, you’ll want to softly roll the pastry out on a floured floor, then place it over the opposite substances and press to stick earlier than popping it within the oven. When it comes out of the oven, you’ll flip the entire thing over so the puff pastry types the crust.