Crispy And Delicious Asparagus And Potato Tart Recipes

FREE-FORM ASPARAGUS & POTATO TART

Steps:

• The morning before you make the pie, put the butter in the freezer - first wrap it in foil, which will help to keep it cold when you grate it later.
• To make the pastry, put the flour in a big bowl and mix in a good pinch of salt and the cheese. Using a coarse cheese grater, grate in the butter - try to hold it as little as possible so it doesn't warm up too much - and stir it in with a knife as you go. When all the butter is in, give it a final stir to make sure all the strands of butter are coated with flour, then quickly stir in 125ml of very cold water. Splash in a little more if it looks dry, then lightly bring the pastry together with your hands. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, bring a big pan of water to the boil, then tip in the potatoes. Boil until just tender, then drain well, slice and allow to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 with a baking tray inside. On a large sheet of baking parchment dusted with a little flour, roll out the pastry into a rough circle about 30cm wide, until the thickness of 2 x £1 coins. Brush the mustard over the pastry. Arrange the potatoes, asparagus and most of the gruyère in layers in the centre of the base, leaving a border of pastry that's roughly 5cm all the way around. Season and fold up the pastry edges to enclose the vegetables and cheese, pinching the edges to seal. Whisk together the soured cream and the egg with a little seasoning, then pour into the centre of the tart. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and slide the tart onto the preheated baking tray. Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is golden and crisp. Eat just warm or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS AND POTATO TART - JAMIE OLIVER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Also, set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Trim asparagus spears to fit into a rectangular tart pan (with removable bottom). Toss trimmed asparagus into boiling salted water for about 2 minutes to blanch.
• Boil potatoes for 12 minutes in salted water. Drain.
• While potatoes are boiling, layer phyllo into tart pan, leaving about 1" of dough overhanging the edge of the pan. Butter each sheet as it goes into the pan.
• Mash potatoes with Cheddar and Lancashire cheeses. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add nutmeg and cream. Add eggs and mix well. Pour into tart pan. Lay asparagus spears on top, alternating directions of tips. Brush top lightly with any remaining melted butter. Crimp overhanging phyllo up along edge of tart pan. Put pan on the lowest shelf of the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and allow it to set for at least 15 minutes.
• Serve with a light salad of fresh spring greens.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• For the tart:
• Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Add butter and mix into flour until pea size. Add water gradually and knead until dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled. Divide into 4 pieces and roll out on floured surface. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees F until lightly brown.
• For the grilled asparagus:
• In a mixing bowl, combine asparagus and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add lemon zest and toss with asparagus. Grill until desired doneness.
• To finish:
• Bake pancetta at 400 degrees F until crispy. Arrange chevre on top of tart disc and top with asparagus. Bake at 400 degrees F until hot. Cook eggs (any way desired) until done and place on top of asparagus Top with crispy pancetta and enjoy.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND POTATO TART

Steps:

• For the dough: Add flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter to the bowl and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbly sand. Add the egg and water and pulse again until the dough comes together.
• Very lightly flour the work surface. Dump the dough onto the floured surface and knead a few times until it comes together. Shape the dough into a disc and roll out to a 13-inch circle. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Level the edges with your fingers. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork. Freeze until firm, 25 minutes.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• While the tart is in the freezer, add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until tender but still with a bit of resistance, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Lightly drizzle the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, and cook, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon until crumbly and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the spinach by the handful and stir until it just wilts down. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and stir in the green onions. Remove to a bowl to cool.
• Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and stir in the milk. Whisk together until combined and then add some salt and pepper.
• Remove the tart from the freezer. Cover the top with parchment paper and add pie weights or dried beans. Place on a sheet tray and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and continue baking for 10 minutes more.
• Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F.
• Evenly sprinkle the par-baked tart shell with half of the grated cheese, then the cooked potatoes, and finally top with the sausage and spinach mixture. Pour the eggs over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.
• Cool the tart for 10 minutes before serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• The Case: Roll out the pastry into a rectangle and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle on some icing sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Tightly roll the pastry, along the longest side, into a sausage roll and slice into discs (about 1-inch thick). With the palm of your hand press down into each disc, then roll out each one into a circle.
• Grease the bottom and sides of 6 oven-proof glasses with butter, then dip each into a bag of flour so that the flour sticks to the butter and shake off any excess. Put the center of the pastry circles on top of the floured oven-proof glass, and gently press the sides of the pastry onto the side of the glass (it should look a bit pleated). Place the glasses (rim side down) on a tray in a preheated 350 degree F.oven). When they are cooked, take them out of the oven and press the bottom of each pastry case, this will ensure that they have a flat bottom.
• The Custard: Break the eggs into a mixing bowl with the sugar and orange zest and whisk thoroughly. Scrape out the seeds inside of a vanilla pod and stir this into the egg mixture. Pour the cream into a saucepan and remove from the heat just before it boils. Pour the hot cream into the bowl of eggs, stirring all the time. Then transfer this mixture back to the saucepan, on medium heat and stir continuously until it has thickened.
• Pour the custard into the pastry cases and let sit to cool.
• Heat the sugar and water on a high heat until you have a golden caramel. As soon as this is ready, pour a thin layer on top of the custard.;

ASPARAGUS TART

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.