This tart may look fancy, but it’s so easy to make! Puffy pastry, asparagus, three kinds of cheese, sautéed leeks, and crispy bacon come together to make the most delicious appetizer, brunch, or light meal.
I love that asparagus is a perennial vegetable, meaning that it continues to grow year after year without having to replant it! It starts growing in the spring and typically continues to grow into the beginning of summer.
Once the harvest is over for the year, you just leave a few spears to grow and rejuvenate roots for next year’s crop. So simple.
That said, it’s easy to maintain, but it takes a little time to get it growing. Asparagus isn’t supposed to be harvested for the first two seasons, as it needs to put all of its energy into establishing roots. But, by the fifth season, you’ll need to pick your asparagus daily just to keep up with production!
At the farm, we have a well-established asparagus plant that produces like crazy, and it’s the best! So, I’m always looking for new ways to cook it up!
That’s where asparagus tart comes into the picture! And, why not add bacon and three kinds of cheeses…right?!
The thing about this tart is that it looks so damn fancy (at least I think so), but it’s actually really easy to make. Please don’t be intimated by the number of steps.
The crust is just frozen puff pastry, then you top that off with an egg, leek and cheese mixture. Next comes the asparagus and crumbled bacon!
What’s even better is that this Three Cheese, Asparagus, and Bacon Tart is good as an appetizer or for brunch or dinner!
Not going to lie, I ate it for dinner more than one night in a row. It’s that good.
On another note, you know what other perennial plant I’m loving right now? Rhubarb! Makes me so sad that it’s only available during the summer, but then again, we probably wouldn’t cherish it as much if it were available year round.
Sort of like Minnesota summers. I definitely appreciate them a lot more after a long winter.
And, I appreciate them even more if I hadn’t already burnt the crap out of my legs and stomach (insert palm to face emoji). Like, REALLY burnt. I’ve honestly never been this burnt – it even looks slightly purple.
The worst part is that I was sitting in a kayak so, naturally, my stomach rolled because I don’t have a six-pack and now I look like a zebra with red stripes.
I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I’m so mad at myself. I always put on sunscreen, but this time, for some dumb reason, I only put it on my face.
I’m also convinced that the redness will never go away – it seriously feels that way. It’s been a couple days already and there’s no sign of it letting up. I’ve soaked in an Epsom salt bath, I’ve been applying aloe like crazy, and I’ve even been rubbing my Cocokind rose water toner and matcha face moisturizer on the sunburn – I’m desperate. Please give me all your tips!!
Anyways, don’t be stupid like me, and always apply sunscreen, even when you don’t think you’ll need it!!
More of my favorite appetizers:
- Homemade French Onion Dip
- Beer Cheese Pulled Pork Nachos
- Mediterranean Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spinach Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
Three Cheese, Asparagus, and Bacon Tart
Ingredients
- 1 leek large
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed but still refrigerated
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning see notes
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- ½ cup fontina cheese shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded – plus more for sprinkling
- 1 bunch of asparagus ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley roughly chopped – plus more for sprinkling
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices bacon
- Fresh lemon slices for garnishing optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Thinly slice white and light green part of the leek, then rinse well. Melt butter over medium heat and sauté the leek until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove heat and set to the side.
- While leeks cook, prepare puff pastry. Unfold pastry on a floured surface, roll into a 10-inch x 15-inch rectangle, and then transfer to the prepared baking sheet (I like to gently fold it into a square to transfer it, then unfold it once it’s on the baking sheet).
- Use a sharp knife to score a border around the pastry dough 1-inch from the edges on all sides, making a rectangle, but DON'T cut all the way through the pastry (see picture). Then prick the pastry all over with a fork inside of the rectangle (do not prick outside the scoreline). Lightly brush pastry with olive oil and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
- Bake pastry for 10 minutes. When it comes out of the oven the center may be puffy. Make prick holes again with a fork and gently press the center down so that it's flat and the outside edges are puffy.
- While the pasty cooks, whisk together eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Mix in gruyere, fontina, parmesan, parsley and sautéed leeks. Evenly spread mixture over baked puff pastry, leaving the 1-inch border. Lay asparagus crosswise over cheese mixture (see pictures). Lightly drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with a small handful of parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and asparagus is tender but slightly crunchy.
- Meanwhile, fry bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 7-10 minutes. Once cool enough, crumble bacon.
- Once the tart is done baking, remove from oven, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and let cool for a couple minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional shaved parmesan and fresh parsley.
- Slice and serve warm!
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