In the kitchen with Elisa
Creamy Asparagus & Cheese Tart
A creamy cheese tart showcasing the beautiful spring produce that is asparagus
There are some seasonal foods that are available only during specific times of the year and then they are gone. Some I miss more and some I miss less. When it comes to asparagus my eyes light up whenever they become available in the local shops in the spring. I love asparagus because even when served plain with a little salt and pepper, it tastes really good and I love the natural flavor of it. But if you want to make something special with it, then there are also many ways to use it in different dishes.
​
I have lately become a big fan of these kind of savory tarts and if you haven´t yet seen the other ones, then I think it is worth me mentioning my Creamy Bacon and Cheese Tart, Smoked Salmon Tart and Mushroom and Cheese Tart. These savory tarts are great, because they are easy and fairly fast to make and you will have 8 meals from ust one tart. These are great served with a side salad and make a great light lunch or dinner. Also you can make these tarts beforehand as they last great in the fridge for a couple of days. Just warm it up before serving for a warm meal.
​
When I was making this tart and filming the recipe, my boyfriend walked into the room just when I was placing the mozzarella balls on top and his reaction was "Hmm, that looks really interesting. I don´t know about the asparagus, but I really love the cheese". I knew this is a risk recipe and that it might happen that he won´t like it. Once the tart was baked and I was serving it, he went for his second piece the moment he finished the first piece. The final verdict was that surprisingly he liked the asparagus in it as well :) So if you like asparagus, you will definitely like this tart, but even if you are sceptical like my boyfriend, you might want to give it a try and surprise yourself :) I mean, anything with cheese tastes amazing, right? :)
​
If you want to see some more recipe with asparagus, let me know in the comments and I will be more than happy to get creative for you :)​
​
Happy Baking lovelies!
Step by Step Video
RECIPE
Creamy Asparagus and Cheese Tart
A delicious spring tart with green asparagus
​INGREDIENTS
​
-
100g butter at room temperature
-
1 egg
-
80g flour
-
40g oats
-
1tsp baking powder
-
30g parmigiano-reggiano
-
salt & pepper
-
2 onions
-
400g green asparagus
-
400g Greek yogurt (10% fat)
-
4 eggs
-
100g mozzarella (grated)
-
olive oil
-
salt & pepper
-
1tsp dry oregano
-
8-10 mozzarella balls (optional)
​
​
DIRECTIONS
​
-
Peel the onions and cube them finely. Add the onions to a frying pan with some olive oil. Fry over medium heat until beautifully golden. Remove from heat and leave aside.
-
Wash the asparagus stalks well and then remove the end parts that are very hard. Chop the asparagus to fairly small pieces, leaving the end bits for decoration.
-
Cream butter with a hand mixer first on the low setting and then on high until pale and creamy (for about 1 minute).
-
Add the egg and mix for another minute.
-
Combine all dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Mix with a hand mixer on low setting just until combined.
-
Grate 30g of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, add to the batter and mix shortly until combined.
-
Butter a 22cm (5cm height) pie pan and press the batter into the pan evenly. Because the batter is very soft you might need to flour your fingers so the batter doesn´t stick to them.
-
To make the filling, in a medium bowl season the greek yogurt with some salt, pepper and one teaspoon of dry oregano. Then add the eggs and mix well until combined. Add the grated mozzarella cheese and mix in shortly. Then add the onion and mix again shortly. Now add the asparagus and mix until combined.
-
Pour the filling over the base and decorate with the end parts of asparagus left aside for decoration. Then also add the mozzarella balls (if using), sprinkle over some dry oregano and grate over some more parmigiano-reggiano.
-
Bake the tart in 175°C bottom top heat at the bottom half of the oven for 60 minutes. If the sides start to get too dark you can cover the tart with a parchment paper to stop it from burning. Before removing the tart from the oven you want to shake it a little to see that it has set. You want only the middle to shake lightly and the rest of the tart to be set.
-
The tart sets when it is cooling. I suggest to cool it completely before cutting the pieces and then re-warming it before serving. Then the slices come out perfectly. However, you can also just cool it shortly and serve while still warm, in this case the slices might crumble a little.
-
Serve warm with a side salad.
TIP. This tart can be made beforehand. If making the tart beforehand, cool it completely and then store in the fridge until serving. Before serving warm up shortly in the microwave.
​
