Leek Asparagus Tart

Pansies on the Kitchen Table + Gift-Giving

Pansies by Vicki Smith

Hello,

The first Christmas after we were married my husband gave me a tight black, spandex dress decorated with rows of fringe and a Betsy Johnson beaded jacket to wear with it. We had reservations to spend New Year’s Eve at a small jazz club in the West Village and I quickly grasped that he expected me to wear the new outfit. Unfortunately, the jacket was cropped and not much of a cover, but on the plus side, I calculated that we wouldn’t run into anyone we knew. Eventually, after a couple years of marriage I realized that I could ask, “You don’t mind if I return this, right?” Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day offer opportunities to surprise, delight, or exasperate our significant others. Society seems to place a greater burden on men to offer expensive or luxurious gifts as co-workers would usually recommend to my husband a particular jewelry store or a spa day. I think my favorite gift was a pair of ice skates and an outing he planned, complete with a thermos of hot cocoa, to a secluded frozen pond in a nearby woods. That day was a reminder of skating together in Central Park when we first met. On the flip side, my gifts for him often fall flat as well, like the rebounder (mini trampoline) that I bought for him one Christmas because I had read that it improved circulation. He gave it a bounce or two on Christmas morning, but to my knowledge has never used it since.

This past December, hoping to simplify shopping for my husband, I mentioned that one item that I could use would be a deep-dish pie plate. Shortly after dropping this hint, I was putting away the laundry when I opened his underwear drawer and spotted something that certainly resembled a pie plate. Sure enough, he picked a dresser drawer to hide the gift. I hadn’t realized that he thought we had a maid or a laundry fairy. It still makes me laugh that he couldn’t think of a better hiding spot. The pie plate has worked well for chicken pot pie and a leek asparagus tart that I first made on Easter weekend. As you may notice from all the dark green in the photo I did not follow the standard wisdom of using only the white and light green parts of the leek. I loosely followed a recipe from Chasing the Seasons adding asparagus and an egg to the tart and substituting puff pastry for a traditional crust. The tart is perfect for brunch or a light lunch with a green salad.

Leek Asparagus Tart Recipe

Ingredients

Puff Pastry, one sheet

9-inch, deep dish pie or standard pie plate

3 T. butter

3 leeks, about 3 cups, preferably white and light green parts only, chopped and thoroughly washed.

asparagus, 6 thin stalks, chopped into one-inch lengths

salt and pepper

1 egg

1 cup half and half

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Roll out room-temperature puff pastry on a floured board until it is slightly stretched out. Although still a rectangle, place it in your pie plate even though it will fit imperfectly.

In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Sauté leeks for 10 to 15 minutes until caramelized. After 7 or 8 minutes add the asparagus to the skillet along with a dash of salt and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Place the egg in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with a fork. Add the grated cheese and half and half. Mix. Add the leeks and asparagus to the mixing bowl.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

 Allow the tart to set for about 5 minutes.  This way it will keep its shape and will still be warm enough to enjoy.

A new leek growing from the scrap. Hopefully.

Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting!

Vicki