It's Spring and asparagus is on sale everywhere. What better way to enjoy it than in this savory buttery cheesy tart?
I start by caramelizing two yellow onions, actually I start by putting on music. Some people like to sing in the shower, I like to dance in the kitchen. As the Emotions belt out "Best of my Love" I thinly slice onions and put them in a skillet with butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Do be careful when using sharp knives and dancing. It takes lots of practice. The caramelizing process takes about an hour with a little attention to stirring every so often.
Bring a couple of quarts of water to a boil to blanch the asparagus. These were thin spears so it only took about a minute or two. Then put in a cold water bath to cool quickly to keep them a vibrant green, and lay out to dry on a dishtowel.
Now, it's time to start on your pastry. I use spelt flour for just about everything, I like using ancient grains like spelt, kamut, sorghum, buckwheat, farro, oats, & quinoa. They tend to be more nutritious and easier to digest. Of course, all purpose flour can be used in this crust, you can even by a store bought puff pastry crust if you're not inclined to make your own dough.
This is a simple butter crust I bring together in a food processor and roll out on a floured surface. I fold it into fourths and roll it back out to 1/4 inch thick a couple of times to give the crust flaky layers. Roll it into a rectangle, place on a sheet pan, fold over edges to make a rim to hold the filling. Place in the fridge about 15 minutes while you prepare the custard filling.
Preheat oven to 350, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork 5-6 times, brush with egg white wash, bake for 15 minutes.
Spread onions, place asparagus next, and pour custard over, brush edges of pastry again with egg white and bake another 25-35 minutes, until custard is set, and edges are golden brown.
Enjoy!
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