Asparagus is an industrious little vegetable. Its spears can grow up to 10″ over the course of a 24 hour period, shooting above the soil ready for harvest like so. It’s also one of the more unique vegetables to cross my cutting board, as it’s not a leaf, flower bud, or root system, but the stem of the plant itself. Asparagus’ flavor is unique as well and in my experience, it is best served as the star of a side dish…or wrapped in bacon.

I normally just roast the spears with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, but after finding a sheet of leftover puff pastry in my freezer this evening I decided to make a simple tart with mushrooms and gruyere.

Because so much of the ingredient amounts are based on the size of your puff pastry, I’m just going to list the ingredients and leave the rest to you. I prepared the tart using a single pastry sheet and it was enough for four servings.

Asparagus and Mushroom Tart
-Asparagus, washed and trimmed
-1 portobello mushroom, sliced 1/4 thick
-Puff pastry
-Gruyere cheese, finely grated
-Olive oil
-Cream or half & half (optional)
-Salt and pepper to taste

1) Pre-heat the oven to 400°

2) Place the puff pastry on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. Fold each side over by 1/4″ and use your finger and a bit of warm water to keep the fold in place.

3) Brush the pastry with olive oil, then drizzle on a few lines of cream or half & half if desired.

4) Arrange the asparagus and sliced mushrooms on the center of the tart and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Top with the grated cheese.

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.