A simple puff pastry tart is one of my favorite ways to highlight ingredients. The subtle buttery flavor and pleasant flaky texture of puff is a great way to showcase vegetables, fruits, and cheeses as well as heartier ingredients like eggs and meats.
Best of all: it’s widely available, easy to work with, and bakes up in a hot second.
The eggs are technically optional here, but I wanted to have some fun. They make the tart especially beautiful (in my opinion), and add protein so it’s a bit more filling. This is a great appetizer for spring and summer gatherings.
Asparagus Egg Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold
- 14-16 ounces asparagus, tough ends trimmed (approximately 1 bunch)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 3-4 large eggs
- Coarse salt and ground black pepper (kosher salt may be substituted)
- Gruyere or alpine-style cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a baking sheet (or use a pre-cut sheet).
- Place the puff pastry on top the parchment paper and use a rolling pin to gently thin it out to a larger rectangle. (Note: you can aim for 10x14 inches, but just make sure it’s long enough to fit the trimmed asparagus. It doesn’t need to be an exact size). Carefully place the parchment sheet onto the baking sheet.
- If necessary, trim the asparagus a bit more. You want to leave space for approximately 1 inch of crust around the border which will puff up in the oven. Line the asparagus closely together over the dough.
- Brush the asparagus lightly with melted butter. (Note: I had brown butter on hand, but regular unsalted butter is fine).
- Crack the eggs into ramekins and slowly top over the asparagus. You can skip this step if you want. Try to keep the eggs away from the edges, but it’s fine if they side onto the crust a bit; mine did. You can also gently nudge the yolks over to evenly disperse them and make room for more.
- Top generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the outer edges of the crust are golden brown and the whites have just set. You can either shoot for a firm or runny yolk based on preference. If you want a runny yolk, you might want to try adding the eggs midway through the cooking process.
- Top liberally with cheese before serving.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
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A simple puff pastry tart is always as elegant as it is delicious. I can’t get enough asparagus at the moment either. I say, keep cooking with it!
This is so pretty! I love the asparagus and egg combo!
I can’t get over how gorgeous and simple this is!
The eggs really do make for a stunning finish!
Great idea. I never made this before. Will try soon………
The asparagus tart sounds great I am going to try it tomorrow, I have everything I need.will let you know.