Cookin' & Cussin'

Savory Asparagus Tarts

Spring be Springin’!

At least that’s what I hate-whisper to myself a few times a week when we’ve been experiencing MULTIPLE days of 44 degree weather & 18 hours of straight downpour……but sure, Spring is on its way.

I personally never believe that damn Groundhog. It’s the same shit every year. It puts everyone in this weird, hopeful mood. I don’t get it.

Just let the seasons arrive when they arrive rather than anticipating them because let’s be forreal – I’m a seasonal eater. I like soup when its cold & rainy, I like salads when the weather is nice & warm, and I loooove things grilled out in the middle of a scorcher.

Well, what I’m pawning off on yall today is definitely seasonal – at least it FEELS that way. But it also promises NOTHING. Just a beautifully presented appetizer that’s sure to please & charm anyone – plus Easter is in just a few days, so might as well make the best of it!

Tarlets

These Savory Asparagus Tarts are a beautiful offering to what I would imagine would be a Spring Feast or Easter Brunch. They are easy-enough to make and the flip-over landing is what REALLY gets me excited about showing these off!

Be on the lookout for the skinny stalks of asparagus – I’ve noticed they tend to be thinner in the Spring season. Don’t ask me why, it’s just something I’ve noticed. So don’t argue, just find the thinnest stalks you can for this recipe!

each ingredient shines

Goat Cheese is another ring-ding-ding for everyone’s favorite. I prefer plain Goat Cheese for just about anything because that recognizable tang is where it’s at – and then you can just build flavors from there!

Hot Honey & Prosciutto are the hand-shake of this tart that we didn’t know we needed. Both the asparagus & goat cheese are light, bright springy flavors that deserve a little extra oomph. Well, let me tell ya, Hot Honey ALWAYS delivers for that!

Prosciutto is that fancy-schmancy “deli meat” – just kidding, don’t kill me! But seriously I wanted these little tarts to have some recognition and I truly believe that Prosciutto sealed that deal.

These dreamy, beautiful, pillowy tarts are SO delectable and SO DO-ABLE! I mean, honestly that’s the point of my blog – to share family recipes & to break down the scariness of some meals. Never fear. I honestly don’t have a lot of history or experience with puff pastry but its also pretty damn easy if you just read the damn instructions.

So I wanted this puff pastry to be more “meal-like” in the sense of I wanted a few ingredients that might be more filling and more unexpected. Like I said, I was seeing A TON of tomato & onion tarts….I mean, yum, but boring. I knew I could make something way better. And then I did.

Disclaimer…..

Cause I’m honest….

I will be completely honest here, dear readers. The hot honey was NOT a good idea. It burned THE SHIT out of itself because : sugar. Should I have known? Yes. Should I have researched? Yes. Do I regret it? Kinda. Because it tasted SO GOOD. I was able to pull most of the charred edges off of the puff pastry so it wasn’t a *problem* perse, but it wasn’t my favorite aesthetic.

Soooo seriously, are you putting all these together? Do you have any other better ideas for your Easter Extravaganza? No? Cause I get it – baking “Easter Bread” or “Hot Cross Buns” are daunting as shit. I’m not a baker. I don’t claim to be. But I try my best to find ways around hardcore baking – puff pastry.

I knoooow what you’re thinking – PUFF PASTRY IS EASY SINCE WHEN?! Since I found it in the refrigerated dough section! *BOOM* But seriously, just gently defrost it, work quickly & follow the baking directions on the packaging. It really doesn’t have to be that hardddd.

Alright, let’s get this impressive appetizer-tart started! Say it with me now, Let’s Get To It!

Ingredients

• 1 PKG Puff Pastry

• 1 Bundle THIN asparagus stalks

• 8 full pieces of Prosciutto

• 2 small logs Plain Goat Cheese, room temperature

• Mike’s Hot Honey – idk I didn’t measure. Just drizzle it.

• ½ cup Milk & Water mixture – for brushing Puff Pastry

• S+P

• Coconut Non-Stick Spray

• Parchment Paper

Instructions, 1

Firstly, preheat the oven to whatever temperature is on your packaging instructions.

I would also pop your puff pastry into the freezer for 10 minutes or so to firm up while you are prepping all your other ingredients.

Clean & Trim your asparagus ends – depending on how large you want your tarts to be, you should keep in mind to trim your asparagus length to MATCH your puff pastry squares – no stragglers allowed!

Cut the 8 pieces of Prosciutto in half – I cut mine horizontally or “fat” half so each side has a nice bite of Prosciutto.

Mix together the ¼ cup of milk (any) and ¼ cup of water – this will help golden-brown your puff pastries!

Also have your Goat Cheese Logs ready with a knife or spreader.

On a LARGE baking sheet, lay down the parchment paper & spray with the Coconut Oil Non-Stick spray – I like to use Coconut Oil because it can withstand higher temperatures much better and will give your tarts a nice crispy bottom!

AHHH now we are at the fun part!

Start by rolling out your puff pastry –or even folding it out. If if comes in a box it might be folded into 3 – if it was nicely rolled in a bag or package, it should still be a square shape, but won’t have the indents to help you measure where to cut it.

I used a pizza cutter – it was more fluid & made me feel like I had a little more control.

My recipe makes 8 individual tarts – you can MOST CERTAINLY adjust this to make more if you are feeding more people – just keep in mind your sizing of your puff pastry AND your asparagus stalks so everything fits nicely underneath the puff pastry cover.

So decide what amount you would like to make and simply cut your puff pastry into that many pieces.

There is literally no right or wrong way to do this – simply measure out, roll your cutter over the puff pastry and leave them there until you are ready to transfer them over to the baking sheet.

NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION – this next part might mind-fuck you.

THESE TARTS WILL BE ASSEMBLED & BAKED UPSIDE DOWN.

On your greased baking sheet, lay down ½ a piece of prosciutto, lay in a neat row, side-by-side, 4-6 stalks of asparagus.

Dust with S+P and a drizzle of Hot Honey.

Lay the other ½ piece of prosciutto down overtop of your asparagus.

So you should have this order on your parchment paper :

Prosciutto, Asparagus, Spices & Hot Honey, Prosciutto.

I would repeat this step until your allotted space is used and / or you have no more ingredients.

GREAT.

Now, take about 1 TBS of Plain Goat Cheese and gently schmear it on 1 side of your cut puff pastry sheet.

Leave about ½ inch around the borders of the puff pastry – you want this to bake cleanly & every ingredient be contained underneath the puff pastry.

Take that puff pastry piece with the goat cheese on it and lay it GOAT CHEESE SIDE DOWN overtop the prosciutto and asparagus stack.

Repeat until all puff pastry is used.

I would also do these steps SEPERATELY because you want to handle the puff pastry as little as possible.

Your hands are warm & it will start to warm the puff pastry which may make it difficult to work with – you want the puff pastry to stay firm until baked.

Instructions, 2

Once ALL your little decadent squares of goodness are stacked & covered with puff pastry, now its simply time to gently crimp down all sides & edges with a fork.

I would also spray the fork with the Coconut Oil Non-Stick Spray.

Finally, using a silicone brush, gently brush over the tops of each puff pastry with the milk & water mixture.

PLZ FOR THE LOVE OF GOD do not soak them! Just a light, gentle brush of the liquid to ensure a crisp, golden brown top.

Bake at the time & temp according to the packaging.

BUT ALSO PLZ BE SMART & CHECK ON THESE PERIODICALLY.

If you are a nervous Nellie, you may set the timer for 5 minutes less to ENSURE these are not browning too much or burning.

ALSO PLEASE BE AWARE – the Hot Honey will seep out A LITTLE and may smell A LITTLE but please trust that all will be fine & well.

Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes and gently flip!

This will be suchhhh a masterpiece.

The Goat Cheese will have melted just a tad & act as a glue to hold the prosciutto and asparagus bundle together – the Hot Honey will have crisped up a little as well and will secure everything too!

Your Puff Pastry will be delicate, crisp, golden & OH SO FLAKY.

I cut mine in half, drizzled with more Hot Honey & served while warm.

These would be perfect served as an appetizer with crudité & deviled eggs …..come onnnn.

Happy Easter & Happy Passover

I’m sure we all have PLENTY of family & old-school recipes to serve for Easter….but wouldn’t something new be more fun??

Spiral Ham, Green Onion Biscuits, Deviled Eggs, Pork Loin, Potato Salad & Watergate Salad are all childhood favorites of mine that are usually served for Easter.

Which is cool, but as I’ve gotten older, I’m definitely willing to deviate from the norm and simply pick 1 or 2 traditional items while forging my own way for my own new spins on holidays!

I especially love this combo for this recipe because it screams RANDOM while incorporating so many delicious and spring-inspired ingredients!

If you can’t make these for Easter or your menu is already set, never fear! These would be perfect to pop-up for a Mother’s Day brunch, book club meeting or a fancier Happy Hour gathering – the choices are endless, just make sure you choose someone who is deserving to enjoy this with!

He is Risen, indeed! Have a good weekend errrrrrybody!