Asparagus Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry. Toss with oil; set aside., In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and basil; sprinkle half over work surface. Place pizza dough on surface; roll into a 12-in. circle. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan mixture; gently press into dough with a rolling pin. Transfer to a greased 9-in. springform pan. Press dough onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of pan. , Line unpricked dough with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Place on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 350°. , In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. In the drippings, saute onion until tender; drain., In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and nutmeg. Stir in onion and reserved bacon. Toss the Swiss cheese and flour; stir into egg mixture. Pour into the crust. Arrange asparagus in a spoke-like pattern on top. , Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing sides of pan. Cut into wedges.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Butter the inside edges of a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Stir flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, black pepper, fresh thyme, and milk together in a large bowl until smooth.
• Whisk eggs and lemon zest into milk mixture to form a smooth batter.
• Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Cook and stir asparagus and 1/4 teaspoon salt in melted butter until the asparagus turns dark green and is coated with butter, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Layer asparagus in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Pour batter evenly over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pie has puffed up and is browned around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Wash leek in a bowl of cold water, agitating water, then lift out leek and pat dry.
• Cook asparagus in a wide 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Cut off and reserve tips (leave more stalk if asparagus is thin), then thinly slice stalks crosswise.
• Heat butter in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook leek with 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in sliced asparagus and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and remove from heat.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Whisk together cream, 2 eggs, tarragon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Lightly beat remaining egg with water in a small bowl and brush pie shell all over with some egg wash. Spoon asparagus mixture into shell, spreading evenly, then pour cream mixture over asparagus.
• Bake until filling is just beginning to set but still loose on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter asparagus tips over top, pressing lightly if necessary to help them settle into filling, then continue to bake until custard is golden and just set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 30 minutes more (custard will continue to set as it cools).
• Cool on baking sheet on a rack until warm, about 30 minutes. Loosen edge with a small sharp knife. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, asparagus and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and asparagus is tender; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese. , Transfer to a greased 10-in. pie plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk and biscuit mix until smooth. Pour over meat mixture. , Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

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:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Open crust on work surface. Press out any cracks. Rub with flour. Arrange dough, flour side down, in 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough into pan.
• Fold excess dough border over to form double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
• Cook asparagus in pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain well. Place on paper towels. Mix half and half, eggs, cheese, tarragon and salt in bowl. Season with pepper. Arrange asparagus in spoke-of-wheel fashion in crust, tips toward edge and ends meeting in center. Pour custard over. Bake until tart puffs and top browns, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix whole wheat flour, vegetable oil, milk, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together using a fork in a 9-inch pie plate; press mixture into the shape of a pie crust.
• Combine asparagus, vegetable broth, and shallots in a pot; bring to a boil. Cook until asparagus is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree until smooth.
• Melt butter in the same pot over medium heat; slowly whisk flour into the melted butter until paste-like consistency. Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into the flour paste; slowly whisk in yogurt. Add asparagus mixture to yogurt mixture; fold in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and Gorgonzola cheese until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust; top with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pie is set in the middle and crust is brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Blend together flour, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with egg and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) just until a dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Make filling while pastry chills:
• Wash leek in a bowl of cold water, agitating water, then lift out leek and pat dry.
• Cook asparagus in a wide 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Cut off and reserve tips (leave more stalk if asparagus is thin), then thinly slice stalks crosswise.
• Heat butter in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook leek with 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in sliced asparagus and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and remove from heat.
• Finish filling and assemble and bake tart:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put flan ring in center of baking sheet. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round, then fit dough inside flan ring, pressing dough against bottom edge and side of ring. Run rolling pin over top edge of ring to cut off excess dough.
• Whisk together cream, 2 eggs, tarragon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Lightly beat remaining egg with water in a small bowl and brush tart shell all over with some egg wash. Spoon asparagus mixture into shell, spreading evenly, then pour cream mixture over asparagus.
• Bake tart until filling is just beginning to set but still loose on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter asparagus tips over top, pressing lightly if necessary to help them settle into filling, then continue to bake until custard is golden and just set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 30 minutes more (custard will continue to set as it cools).
• Cool tart on baking sheet on a rack until warm, about 30 minutes. Loosen edge with a small sharp knife, then lift off flan ring. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.
• *Available at cookware stores and Bridge Kitchenware (212-688-4220; bridgekitchenware.com).