With Asparagus season roaring along, this Asparagus Tart is the perfect recipe for the season. An easy cream cheese pastry, holds a pound of roasted asparagus highlighted with lemon in a low fat quiche mixture topped with parmesan cheese.
For more information on Asparagus, including the different grades see my post, Asparagus Season is Here,
This is a perfect brunch, lunch or dinner choice and can be made a couple of days ahead of time.
Be sure to check out other savory tarts on my blog including: the very impressive Tourte Milanese, the every popular Italian Torta Rustica, Greece's favorite Spanokopita as well as one of the favorites from my take out shop, Goat Cheese Pesto Tart.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- It comes together quickly.
- The cream cheese crust is so easy to make and goes into the shell with no rolling.
- The tart can be made a couple of days ahead and reheated.
- It's so versatile with it being served for brunch, lunch or a light dinner.
- It is low fat with no cream being used.
Recipe Ingredients
Cream Cheese Crust
Ingredients are: Unsalted Butter, salt, cream cheese and all-purpose flour.
For the Filling
The filling for the tart include: Parmesan cheese, roasted asparagus, cottage cheese, eggs, low fat yogurt, cornstarch or swee rice flour, lemon zest and black pepper.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients & instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Trim the hard stems off the asparagus and toss with a bit of oil. Salt and pepper them and bake at 350°F for exactly 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Step 2. Place the flour and salt in the processor bowl and pulse several times to mix, Step 3. Add the cut up butter and cream cheese. Step 4. Process until it forms a ball. Divide the ball in 3 or 4 pieces and process again to make sure it is all combined.
Step 5. Divide the dough into 3 parts, 90 grams each. Remove a teaspoon from each part, combine, wrap in film and set aside. This will be used if the crust needs to be patched. Roll two of the pieces into 14 inch legnths. Step 6. Spray the bottom of a 9" quiche or tart pan with a removable bottom with a non-stick baking release. Do not spray the sides. Place the rolls along the sides of the pan with the edges overlapping. Step 7. Moisten the ends of the overlapping dough and press the rolls into the sides of the pan. Step 8. Extend the dough from the sides of the pan into to middle by pushing the dough on the sides down toward the center of the pan as shown.
Step 9. Using the last piece of dough, form a circle by pressing it out between your hands then placing it on the lightly floured work surface and patting it out large enough to partially cover the extended dough. Step 10. Wet the extension. Step 11. Place the circle of dough over the extension. Step 12. Press the circle over the moistened dough and seal it to the edge of the crust. Chill to firm it.
Step 13. Spray a large piece of of foil with a non-stick baking release. Step 14. Place the sprayed side down over the crust, making sure it fits into the side. Bake as directed and cool. If the crust separates anywhere along the joined line, use the reserved little pastry ball to patch it after it cools. Do not bake again. Step 15. Wipe the inside of the processor bowl out. There is no need to wash it. Step 16. Cut the asparagus into about 1 inch pieces.
Step 17. Place all the ingredients for the filling, except the asparagus and parmesan cheese, in the bowl of the processor. Process until smooth and liquid. Step 18. Put the asparagus filled crust in a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Step 18. Pour the liquid over the asparagus and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake as directed. If the top has not browned, place it under the broiler for a few minutes. Watch it carefully as the cheese can go from golden to burned quickly.
Recipe FAQS
Pencil thin - about as thin as a pencil - blanch these do not roast or grilll. Standard - the stalk is about ½ inch or slightly more at the bottom - great for roasting or grilling. Jumbo - these are really fat stalks. They need to be peeled with a vegetable peeler to get rid of the toughest part and make them edible. These can be roasted or grillled. See my post, Asparagus Season is Here for in depth information about this vegetable.
Absolutely. Cheddar, fontina, provolone, pepperjack. Swiss gets really stringy and can be difficult to eat as can mozzerlla and the bleu cheese or really strong cheeses are not the best choices.
The stalks should be firm, bright green with tips that are compact and tightly closed. Wilted, dried out, or blemished stalks or the bottom of stalks should be avoided. The ends should be moist and plump.
Expert Tips
- Trim any woody stems from the bottom of the asparagus before roasting.
- The cream cheese crust requires no liquid and is especially easy to work with.
- Be sure to spray foil and place the sprayed side on top of the crust before filling it with weights. Make sure the weights come to the top of the pan and into to corners. Parchment can tear when lifting the weights from the crust.
- There is no need to wash the processor between making the crust and making the filling. Just wipe it out.
Other Savory Items for your Enjoyment
Love this Asparagus Tart? It would be hugely helpful and so appreciated it if you would take a moment to leave a star rating. Thank you.
Asparagus Tart
Equipment
- 9" tart pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pastry
- ¾ cup +1T all-purpose flour (114 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (75 grams)
- 3 ounces cream cheese (85 grams)
Asparagus Tart Filling
- 1 pound fresh asparagus (454 grams)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- ½ cup low fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup low fat plain yogurt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch or sweet rice flour
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ - ½ teasp cayenne pepper
- OR
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
Asparagus
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" tart pan with removable bottom with a non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
- Trim the bottoms of the asparagus of any woody stalks. Toss the asparagus with the oil making sure all of it is covered.
- Line a half sheet pan with foil and place the asparagus in a single layer in the pan. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake 8 minutes. Remove and cool.
Cream Cheese Crust - see the photos in the Step by Step instructions.
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a processor. Pulse several times to blend.
- Cut the butter into pieces as well as the cream cheese. Add to the processor, placing them in a circle over the flour. Process until a ball forms.
- Remove from the process and divide into 3 pieces about 90 grams each. Remove 1 teaspoon from each piece, shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Set the little piece aside.
- Roll two of the balls into 14" lengths. Place each of them around the rim of the pan with the ends overlapping.
- Wet the ends lightly and press together. Press the ropes firmly into the sides of the pan. Extend the dough for about 1 ½" from the sides of the pan into to middle by pushing some of the dough on the sides down toward the center of the pan, If this seems confusing - see the pictures.
- Shape the remaining piece of dough into a round large enough to cover the exposed part of the pan and go over the dough by a couple of inches. i shaped the dough between my hands and then placed it on a lightly floured surface and pushed it out from the center.
- Moisten the existing dough on the bottom of the tart pan. Place the round over it and press the dough up to the edge of the pan. Make the bottom as even as you can. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spray a large piece of foil with a non-stick-baking release. Line the pastry shell with the foil, sprayed side down on top of the pastry. Make sure it fits into the corners well. Pour weights up to the rim of the shell.
- Bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the weights by bringing the four corners of the foil together in the middle and lifting them out.
- Immediately place the tart shell back in the oven on the bottom rack for about 5 minutes more until the crust is set. It does not have to be browned as long as it is firm. If the crust separates at any point, use the small of reserved pastry to patch the cracks after it cools.. Do not bake again.
Filling
- Cut the asparagus into ½ to ¾ inch pieces. If any are woody, do not use them.
- Place them in the bottom of the par-baked pastry shell. Place the tart pan on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Wipe out the processor bowl. There is no need to wash it. Combine all the filling ingredients except the parmesan in the processor bowl. Process until smooth. Taste for salt and either cayenne or pepper. Adjust if necessary.
- Top the filling with the grated parmesan cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until it is set or just very slightly jiggly. If the top has not taken on any color, move the sheet pan to under the broiler. Broil until the parmesan browns. Watch it carefully as it can go from golden to burned quidkly.
- Let it cool to warm on a cooling rack. Serve warm or room temperature with a squeeze of lemon juice over the top.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Slices of the tart can be microwaved briefly to warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Claudette says
Are there eggs in this tart? Eggs are not listed in the ingredient list.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Claudette - thanks so much for this. Yes, there are 3. I have corrected the recipe.
Lynette Pruett says
Helen, your timing in posting this tart recipe is perfect for me! We have just returned to our summer home, and I have two friends coming over next Monday for our first gathering of the season. Since spring=asparagus in my opinion, this tart is on the menu!
I have made so many more tarts, both savory and sweet, since discovering your blog, and I’m fortunate that I found a copy of your "European Tarts" cookbook on Amazon. I’m looking forward to this cream cheese pastry, as I do enjoy the texture and ease of working with the dough.
I have a general question about tart pans with removable bottoms. I have a 11” Gobel one, and a 9” dark nonstick metal one that I bought at a thrift store for a few dollars. I cannot tell one bit of difference in the way they bake, despite the significant difference in price! Have you found the same to be true?
Now I can’t wait for next Monday to get here! Thank you.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Lynette, so good to hear from you. I only have the shiny ones that I have had forever. In the past I had a black one that I didn't like because whatever was in it baked a lot faster or burned if you didn't realize it. I have used the gray ones for muffins that are no stick and they seem fine. I usually spray everything anyway to some degree as a fail safe. As long as something works for you - go with it.
Lynette Pruett says
Helen, I made this tart for my friends today, and it was just as wonderful as I anticipated! I had copied the recipe before the three eggs were added to the ingredient list, but when I had mixed the remaining ingredients together without the eggs, I knew something was amiss! I felt sure there must be eggs in the mixture. I went back and checked your pictorial ingredients, and sure enough, there were the three eggs. Thanks once again for your detailed pictures!
Thanks again for an excellent recipe.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Lynette - I'm happy you checked out the photos. The people who make the most mistakes are often seasoned bakers. They skip the header which has all the information in it and go straight to the recipe. You figured out the answer would most probably be in the Step by Steps. Happy you liked it.