Asparagus Goat Cheese Tort Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.
• Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Arrange asparagus, side-by-side, on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Crumble goat cheese over asparagus.
• Roast in the preheated oven until cheese is slightly melted and asparagus are tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Combine asparagus, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan and mix well.
• Broil in the preheated oven until asparagus is cooked through and easily pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus; cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Drain and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking; drain and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Roll out the puff pastry into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, mix the fontina, comte, shallot, egg yolks, milk, nutmeg and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Arrange the asparagus on the tart and bake until the cheese mixture is slightly puffy, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, use a fork or a wooden spoon to mash together the goat cheese, egg, garlic, tarragon, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg until smooth. Switch to a whisk and beat in the crème fraîche until smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into a 13-by-11-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score a 1/2-inch border around the edges of the puff pastry.
• Spread the crème fraîche mixture evenly inside the scored border. Line up the asparagus spears on top, and brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and the grated Parmesan over the asparagus.
• Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool on the cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving. Then sprinkle black pepper, red-pepper flakes (if using), the shaved Parmesan and tarragon leaves. Drizzle a little oil on top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Wash the asparagus and cut off the bottom of the stems that are greenish-white and tough. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, submerge the asparagus for 30 seconds to blanch, remove the asparagus from the pot and quickly submerge in iced water to shock. Set the asparagus aside.
• From the wild leeks, trim off the dirty roots and snip an inch off the tops, before washing them carefully in cold water. Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter begins to foam add the wild leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broth to the wild leeks and simmer until all of the broth has evaporated but be careful not to burn the leeks. Remove from the saute pan and allow to cool.
• Prepare a space to work with the phyllo dough: unwrap the dough and cover with a cloth, have a brush and the olive oil ready and have a cookie sheet ready on which the tart will be baked. Begin by lightly brushing the center of the cookie sheet with a film of olive oil. Next, lay the first sheet of dough on the cookie pan, brush the dough lightly with oil and overlap width wise the next sheet over only half of the first so that now the two sheets make a pastry sheet 50 percent wider (not longer) than the original dimension of the pastry. Don't be concerned if the lengthwise ends of the dough are overflowing from the edges of the pan: all of the edges of the dough will be rolled up to form the edges of the tart.
• Brush the second sheet of dough with oil and lay another sheet squarely over the first so that in alternating this pattern you build your wide pastry base. Continue to alternate the dough sheets, brushing each layer with oil, until you have used half the package of dough.
• Gather the edges of the phyllo between the tips of your fingers and begin to roll them toward the
• center to form the sides of the tart. Roll uniformly inward until the rolled edge is even all around and the round tart resembles a pizza. Leave a pastry base of 10 to 12 inches into which the vegetables and cheese will go after the tart shell is blind baked.
• Place the empty tart shell into the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before filling. This pastry preparation can be done over the course of several hours and can even be done a day or two ahead if the blind baking is reserved until the last moment and the raw pastry is covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.
• To fill the tart crumble the goat cheese and spread it evenly over the base of the tart. Next add an even layer of wild leeks, followed by the asparagus which should be fanned, tips out, from the center of the tart. Season the tart lightly with salt and pepper, place into the 375 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has softened and the crust becomes a rich golden brown. Serve immediately.
• While the tart is baking (or ahead of time if possible) prepare the vinaigrette. Place the red pepper, mustard, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse to chop the red pepper to a fine dice. When the pepper has been pulsed enough, begin to drizzle in the walnut oil to create an emulsified dressing.
• Serve the tart with a small green salad and a drizzle of red pepper vinaigrette.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a 16-inch square and fit into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Roll a rolling pin over top of tart to trim pastry flush with top of rim. Chill pastry shell while making filling.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. with a baking sheet on lowest rack.
• In a small skillet, cook scallions in butter with salt to taste over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute, and cool.
• In a steamer set over boiling water, arrange asparagus slices and top with reserved tips. Steam asparagus, covered, until crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes, and drain well, reserving tips separately.
• In a blender, blend eggs, goat cheese, milk, and salt with pepper to taste. Add tarragon and pulse custard to combine.
• Spread scallions and asparagus slices in pastry shell and arrange reserved tips decoratively on top. Pour custard slowly over vegetables.
• Bake tart in pan on heated baking sheet in oven 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375°F. and bake tart until set, about 8 minutes. Transfer tart in pan to a rack.
• Remove rim of pan and serve tart warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the flour and salt and beat on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the butter and continue beating until pea-size crumbs form, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the water 1/2 Tbs. at a time and continue beating, adding more water as needed, until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together to form a 5-inch disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness to fit a 9-inch square tart pan. Press the dough into the pan and trim the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang around the rim. Fold in the excess dough and press it into the sides so they are thicker than the bottom. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Line the pastry shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the shell is set, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and continue baking until the shell is golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Meanwhile, make the filling: Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and season with salt. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper, nutmeg and herbs. Pour into the cooled tart shell. Sprinkle with two-thirds of the goat cheese. Arrange the asparagus spears lengthwise across the tart in a single layer. Sprinkle with the remaining goat cheese.