Spring has finally arrived in the Northern hemisphere as evidenced by the blooming of the colourful tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths in my yard... or at least the few remaining ones that the bunny in the back yard hasn't discovered/eaten yet- good thing he's cute #BunnyStew. We've also had non-stop rain for the last 5 days or so (enough already! Where is the freakin sun???? Glad I live at the top of a hill.) And who doesn't like being woken up at 4 a.m. by the serenade songs of the birds looking for some love? (It is rather nice at first, but I have been known to swear at them a little due to lack of sleep.) That brings me to another one of my favourite things about Spring: Asparagus Season. It's short here so you've gotta enjoy it for all its worth while you can. I LOVE asparagus, which is why when I was searching for something to make for Easter Brunch with the sous chef and family, I just had to try this recipe out. Yes, at the time it wasn't officially asparagus season here yet so I cheated and bought some that was "from away" but I just couldn't wait. You know how it is. But now that fresh Ontario asparagus is finally ready...lookout baby!!! I will admit that I don't work with pastry much, and it definitely shows. I find it kinda fiddly but thankfully the cheese hides all the flaws in my pastry-incompetence. Thank god for cheese. I tried to make most of this ahead of time before the guests showed up...as I didn't really know what I was doing (and they don't need to know this) and I wasn't quite sure how well it was all going to turn out. Such pressure! But as I said, thank god for cheese. It was delicious- honestly how could it not be with asparagus, cheese, and herbs all together on pastry.
And one of the many topics discussed while eating this delicious Easter brunch? Asparagus pee. Yup, we are a classy bunch at Bistro 164. I don't know why, but I am fascinated by this phenomenon. I even had this discussion with some co-workers a few weeks ago.... in the bathroom, after lunch. Don't worry, I won't go into too much detail in case it's too much information for you but if you are interested, then I recommend doing some Googling. Btw: I have no idea what asparagus pee smells like. There I said it, now you know my secret. I''m officially a weirdo.
Anywho, asparagus season is fleeting so like all good things in life make sure you savour it. Even if it gives you Asparagus Pee. And remember the important lesson that I learned while making this: Cheese Fixes Everything. Enjoy!
(Bonus: If you love asparagus as much as I do, follow this link to another yummy asparagus recipe!)
Asparagus & Tarragon Goat-Cheese Tart
from More Food & Drink Spring 2017
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 pkg (450 g) frozen pre-rolled puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg, beaten
2 lbs asparagus
Kosher salt to taste
8 oz soft goat cheese
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
2 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese (I used parmesan instead)
Finely chopped chives for garnish
Directions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unroll both sheets of puff pastry. Arrange on parchment with 1 end of 1 sheet overlapping the other by about 1/2 inch. Brush edges with beaten egg and seal well.
Brush a 1/2 inch border of beaten egg all around the rectangle of pastry. Fold in edges by 1/2 inch and brush folded border with beaten egg. Prick pastry all over with a fork, avoiding border.
Bake until pastry is starting to turn golden, about 12 minutes. Reduce oven temp. to 350 F. Bake until golden and crisp, about another 12 minutes.
Remove pastry from oven and slide pastry, along with the parchment paper, onto a wire rack. Gently press down on pastry with the back of a spoon to flatten. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Trim asparagus by snapping off ends of stalks where they break naturally. Discard ends. Trim stalks so all are 4 inches long.
In a large skillet of boiling salted water, blanch asparagus for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Spread asparagus out in a single layer between 2 clean tea towels. Pat dry.
Increase oven to 425 F. In a medium sized bowl, mix together using a fork the goat cheese, chives, tarragon and pepper.
Slide pastry, along with parchment, back on the baking sheet. Crumble goat cheese mixture evenly over pastry, avoiding border. Arrange asparagus in 2 even rows on top of goat cheese. Brush asparagus with oil, then sprinkle evenly with the pecorino (or parmesan) cheese.
Bake until cheeses have melted and edges of pastry are deep golden brown, 12- 14 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then slide onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with chives. Use a pizza cutter to cut into slices or squares.
No comments:
Post a Comment