Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart is a really quick and simple supper or lunch dish and can be eaten hot or cold.   It uses ready-made puff pastry with a topping of lemon and herb flavoured cheese and fresh asparagus. You can make this recipe in around half an hour so it is perfect when you want to get something hot and tasty on the table in hurry.

• Easy Shortbread Recipe
• Cranberry Gin
• Beetroot Soup with Coconut
• Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives
• Blackberry Gin

What you need to know about this recipe

• There is no shame in using ready-made puff pastry  – it makes things so much easier – but if you can find a brand that says it is made with butter it will taste so much better!
• I combine plain cream cheese with garlic, lemon and herbs in this recipe as I like to choose my own flavourings. However, there are lots of ready-made garlic and herb cream cheese varieties. If you want to make this recipe even easier, you can use one of them rather than making your own.
• In this recipe, I have used fennel, thyme, chives and parsley as I had to hand in my garden and which I think go well together and with the asparagus. However, you can use any herbs that you like. Others that would go well would be lemon balm, lemon thyme, dill and tarragon.
• The one thing I would recommend keeping in, is the lemon zest.  Asparagus has an affinity with lemon and with dairy products – a traditional way of serving it is with buttery, lemony Hollandaise sauce – which highlights its fresh, grassy flavour.

Other asparagus recipes

If you like this Asparagus Tart recipe, you might also like my Asparagus Quiche. This is a different kind of recipe that is made with shortcrust pastry and contains a savoury custard filling studded with pieces of asparagus and fresh herbs. You might also like my Asparagus and Pea Soup which is flavoured with chervil and is a fantastic light summer soup.

Other quiche and tart recipes

Savoury tarts and quiches are a fantastic, cook-ahead simple supper or lunch. They are easy to make and are great either hot or at room temperature. They can also be easily divided into portions if you are feeding a large number of people. Easily transportable, they also make a good addition to lunch-boxes or basis for a picnic. Some of my favourites are listed below.

• Asparagus Quiche is a simple quiche-style savoury tart that highlights the taste of fresh asparagus.
• Two kinds of onion tart – Caramelised Onion Tart which is based on sweet, slow-cooked onions and another version, Onion Tart with Wild Garlic, which has the addition of fresh herbs. I also have an easy Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy which uses ready-made puff pastry.
• I also have two very different carrot-based tarts. Carrot and Coriander Tart combines these two classic flavours in a simple quiche-style savoury tart. Carrot Tart uses ready-made puff pastry and combines large pieces of carrot with orange and soft cheese.
• Beetroot Tart is deliciously sweet and earthy.  Tomato Tart is fresh and sweet.
• Spinach Tart combines leaf green spinach with feta and crunchy pine-nuts.
• Butternut Squash Tart with Chilli and Sage also has a sweetness to it but this is off-set by the addition of a little hot chilli.
• Feta Quiche with Roasted Peppers is a fantastic comination of rich, smoky roasted peppers with salty feta cheese.
• If you love garlic, you will like my Garlic Tart which is a celebration of one of my favourite flavours!
• I also have a couple of fish-based recipes. My Crab and Prawn Tart has Asian-inspired flavours of coriander, lime and chilli. My Smoked Salmon Tart with Prawns is easy to make and is perfect for a celebratory meal or party.
• In addition to larger quiches and tarts, I also have a recipe for individual Herb Tartlets which are great as canapes or snacks.

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart recipe

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