Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Tarragon Tart

The grocery store has fresh, local, first-of-the-season asparagus this week and is offering buy one get one free, so we end up with a lot of asparagus!  We have had our eye on Melissa Clark's (Dinner in French) asparagus, goat cheese, and tarragon tart for a while and decide this is the time to make it.

Our inspiration

We start with a favorite Bobby Flay appetizer, a béchamel-based blue-cheese dip that we serve with potato chips.  We bring two cups of milk to a simmer, heat butter in another saucepan and add finely chopped onions, stirring until soft.  We then stir in two tablespoons of flour, cook briefly, then slowly whisk in the warm milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens.  We season with salt and cayenne pepper and continue to cook, whisking occasionally.  We remove from the heat and add 4 ounces (113 grams) of crumbled blue cheese, sprinkle with chopped fresh chives, and serve.

Appetizer

While we enjoy the chips and dip, we start on the tart.  As the oven preheats to 425°F (220°C), we mix together goat cheese, an egg, minced garlic, chopped fresh tarragon, lemon zest, salt, and nutmeg.  When this mixture is smooth, we whisk in crème fraîche until smooth again.

Ingredients

Whisking together

We roll out puff pastry to form a rectangle and score a border around the pastry.  The crème fraîche mixture is spread evenly inside the scored border and asparagus spears are lined up on top, brushed with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and grated Parmesan cheese.

Before assembly

All together

We bake the tart until the pastry is puffed and golden, then let it cool for a while before serving.  To serve, we sprinkle each piece with black pepper, red pepper flakes, shaved Parmesan, tarragon leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.  To accompany the tart, we make a simple salad of arugula, sliced avocado, ground pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Ready to serve

Portioned

Served with salad and wine

This has been another [relatively] simple, but fun-to-make and delicious meal!  And, as the tart didn't even use a full bunch of the asparagus, we have a lot more asparagus-themed dishes to think about and make over the next few days.