Monday, August 8, 2016

Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts


As I mentioned in this post, I am a new discoverer of Aldi's, and, as such, have gone a bit crazy stocking up on staples and their lovely fresh produce. So much so that I found I had almost more asparagus than I knew what to do with. So, I've been perusing and trying all sorts of recipes, and, in the doing, coming up with a lot of winners. 
When I found a recipe for Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts (Did I also mention that I'd bought my weight in mushrooms? Yeah. That's a lot of mushrooms.), I knew I had to give this a try. The whole idea of a tart appealed to me anyway because it reminded me of our trip to Paris when we'd slip into a little café and nosh on one. The night before I chose to make these I pulled a package of puff pastry sheets out of the freezer and placed it into the fridge for thorough thawing.


To make things super easy on myself, I made the filling early in the day so all I had to do was fill the pastry and bake. Only, it wasn't quite that easy. It seemed, upon closer examination, that I didn't have puff pastry sheets at all, but a package of puff pastry shells, and only two of them at that. Huh. What else could I do, but place them side-by-side between two pieces of cling film, roll them together, trim the edges, score, fill, and bake. So I did, and look how beautiful it is! Not only beautiful, but also delicious; this is definitely a keeper.
Further, with the leftover filling, I topped slices of baguette (a la the Pimiento Cheese Toasts), ran them under the broiler, and served them the next day for lunch with a bowl of summer chowder. The next time I serve them on slices of baguette (and there will be a next time), I'll do a quick dice so the filling fits a bit better onto the slices.



I love it when a recipe can be super easy, exceptionally delicious, and serve dual purposes.
 Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts

Slightly adapted from epicurious.com


 1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1/4 cup unsalted butter
12 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, and sliced

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Grating or two of fresh nutmeg
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)

Preheat to 400°F.

Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2 rimmed baking sheets.


Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in sour cream, cheese, and nutmeg, if desired.. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.

Bake tarts 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to bake tarts until crusts are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Serve.

9 comments:

thepaintedapron.com said...

This looks so good Pattie, my favorite kind of thing to eat! How clever to figure out how to use those pastry shells too! My new favorite lunch is Pimento cheese on toasted naan bread with pecans and strawberry jam :)
Jenna

Courtney said...

This looks absolutely delicious!

Unknown said...

Wow...this sounds amazing!!

Would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, and tips: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

Unknown said...

Yes please! 😀. I am a sucker for anything mushroom. Mmmmmmm
Thanks for the recipe!
Michelle

Lori E said...

These would be such a hit at any dinner or luncheon.
Super easy. Yum.

Winnie said...

Beautiful tart and looks soooooooooo DELICIOUS !!

Eclectic Red Barn said...

I love all of these ingredients. I am pinning and making this.
Bev

Miz Helen said...

What a beautiful tart and so much flavor, I can't wait to make it. Hope you are having a fantastic day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen

JES said...

These look scrumptious! And I keep hearing about Aldi's... I sure wish there was one around here :)

Thank you for sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth!