Description
Test this tarts versatility as an appetizer or main dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, preferably an all-butter version such as DuFour
- 16 to 20 thin to medium-thick asparagus spears
- About 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 oz (about 1½ cups) shredded Fontina cheese
- Flaky salt and coarse-ground black pepper
- Fresh dill sprigs and/or snipped chives, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet on a floured surface into a 10- X 14-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Transfer the pastry to the baking sheet. Score the pastry on all 4 sides 1 inch in from the edge. Slice down into, but not all the way through, the pastry. Using a fork, dock (poke holes in it) the dough inside the marked rectangle at 1-inch intervals. This will help the pastry stay flat in its initial baking.
- Par-bake the pastry for 12 to 14 minutes, until it has begun to color and rise a bit.
- Toss asparagus with oil to coat lightly.
- Remove the pastry crust from the oven. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the tart. Arrange the spears snugly side by side, arranging as many as will fit neatly in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Return the tart to the oven and continue baking 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry crust is nicely browned and crisp and asparagus spears are tender. Scatter with dill or chives, if you wish. Slide the tart off the baking sheet and onto a baking rack to cool briefly. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares.