Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart Recipe

Recipe developer Kristen Carli loves entertaining, but she's also juggling a busy private practice as a registered dietitian. Accordingly, it is always a coup when Carli can come up with a recipe like this one, which is "elegant and looks fancy, but is rather easy to pull off," as she told us. At the same time, Carli's work in the field of nutrition has made her think quite a bit about how to inconspicuously sneak vegetables into her culinary offerings. "I'm a fan of eating your veggies in any way possible," she explains. And this recipe for a fresh asparagus goat cheese tart fits the bill to a "T". Even the pickiest of eaters may be willing to eat asparagus when it's perched atop a warm, goat cheese-enhanced pastry as it is here, as Carli points out.

"I love this for a brunch, baby shower, or bridal shower," she also notes, but you could certainly enjoy it anytime you're looking for a savory, satisfying, veggie-enhanced snack. As an added bonus, this asparagus goat cheese tart recipe offers a great opportunity to learn to work with puff pastry. Let's get started.

For Carli's recipe for asparagus and goat cheese tarts, you'll need just four ingredients. The first, as you might imagine, is asparagus. Carli's recipe calls for about 15 thin asparagus spears, or about a quarter of a bunch. If your asparagus are on the thicker side, she suggests using 6 to 7 spears. The asparagus spears will need to be cut into bite-size pieces, and Carli provides instructions for that below.

As noted above, the pastry portion of these asparagus and goat cheese tarts is made with puff pastry dough. You'll need one sheet from a package of frozen puff pastry dough sheets. The only other ingredients you'll need are a ½ cup of crumbled goat cheese and a ½ teaspoon of dried thyme (which you can purchase in the spice aisle of your supermarket).

About 40 minutes before you plan to start baking, take the frozen puff pastry sheet out of the freezer, and allow it to thaw at room temperature. Carli notes that until the puff pastry sheet has thawed for that long, it may not be pliable enough to unroll. While you're waiting for the puff pastry sheet to thaw, go ahead and preheat your oven to 400 F, spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray, and work on the next step. 

Take your asparagus spears out of the refrigerator, rinse them under cold water, and pat them dry with paper towels. Before you get to chopping, you will need to remove the fibrous end from each spear's stalk. You can certainly use a sharp utility or chef's knife to cut the last inch to inch and a half off of each stalk, as Carli prefers. That said, this simple trick of snapping the woody ends off may save you time and helps guarantee you're breaking the stalk in just the right spot. 

Then, use a sharp knife to chop each spear into 1- to 2-inch pieces. 

Assuming that your puff pastry has thawed to the point where it is pliable but still cold, unroll it onto a large baking sheet that you've sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. With your puff pastry dough rolled out on your baking sheet, sprinkle the goat cheese on top. Then toss the chopped asparagus spears on top of the goat cheese. Finally, sprinkle your thyme over everything.

Place the baking sheet in the oven, and set a timer for 15 minutes. At the end of 15 minutes, take the baking sheet out of the oven. While the tart is still warm from the oven, cut the tart into six pieces. Carli recommends using a pizza cutter for this. And that's it: your asparagus goat cheese tart is ready to serve.