asparagus appetizer

Here’s the promised link to the asparagus appetizer I made for the party.  There were quite a few requests for the recipe, and I don’t think the gals believed me when I said how easy it was to make.

http://whatsgabycooking.com/skinny-asparagus-and-gruyere-tart/

I’m almost reluctant to prove how simple it actually is.  Because these women are very experienced partygoers and not easily impressed, it was fun to hear them beg for the recipe.

So here’s my version:

1 thawed puff pastry (thawed on parchment paper)***

1 bunch of skinny asparagus (I found the skinniest ones at Walmart)

2 cups Swiss cheese

2 TBS honey mustard

Once the pastry is unwrapped and looks something like a rectangle, move the whole thing (paper and all) to a cookie sheet.  Score a 1″ margin around the edges with a sharp knife (don’t slice all the way through–this is a guide, to make it look pretty).  Spread the mustard inside the lines and all over the rectangle.  Then sprinkle the Swiss cheese.  Then arrange the cleaned asparagus (with the tough ends snapped off) in a pattern on top of the cheese.  Brush with olive oil (the asparagus *and* the edges of the dough), sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

I forgot to sprinkle the top with Parmesan last week, but most of the time I remember and it is tasty.

***I mistakenly used phyllo dough the first time I tried this.  It was really messy to eat.  Then I tried using 5 individual sheets of phyllo brushed with olive oil so they would stick together.  That was much better.  The phyllo really needs to be oiled or it will burn.

I have also used this with pesto (instead of mustard), mozarella (not Swiss) and roasted red peppers and pine nuts (instead of asparagus).  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle Parmesan on top, if you can remember that step and are not busy printing out lyrics to I’M JUST AN OLD CHUNK OF COAL on the internet.

I also baked mine at 350, not 400, for  22 minutes.

Some recipes call for steaming the asparagus (if you can’t get skinny ones and have to use the big stuff) ahead of time.  I’ve done that, dunked them in cold water, blah, blah.  But they tasted too mushy on top of the tarte.  I think they roast just fine in the oven.  Slice it into squares with a pizza cutter.

I wish I’d taken a picture of this dish.  Darn.  It looks so much fancier than it is.