Asparagus - Pepper Tart

Dave likes asparagus; I tolerate it at best. The farmer's market had the nice pencil-thin asparagus that I don't see that often, so I bought a couple bundles thinking I could do an asparagus-rice kinda' thing. But I saw this recipe and loved how simple it is, and loved how fancy-pants the presentation is.

I did rather a loose interpretation of the recipe. I used my own pie dough that I had frozen; I made a much smaller tart; I added some Swiss cheese on the top. Even though I rarely eat asparagus, this was pretty good, and Dave loved it.

I think other vegetables would work here, and if you are cooking for guests this tart is really impressive. I love the bright colors and being able to serve it in pretty wedges. You can eat it at room temperature, so it's a make-ahead dish.

Feel free to size this down to fit whatever pan you're using (I used a regular pie pan). The original recipe calls for a 14 x 4.5 inch rectangular tart pan.

The recipe is from Pastry: Savory and Sweet by Michel Roux.

Asparagus and Red Pepper Tart
pie dough for single layer pie
48 medium asparagus spears
salt and pepper
about 1 1/4 lb. of roasted red peppers, or sauteed red peppers, diced
1 medium egg
2 medium egg yolks
scant 1 cup heavy cream
pinch of grated nutmeg
8 dill sprigs


Roll out the pie dough and pre-bake in your tart pan at 350F until just lightly browned--about 20 minutes.

Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain well and pat dry. Trim the asparagus to the width of the pan.

Dry off the peppers and spread into the bottom of the pastry shell. Mix the eggs and cream together and season with salt and pepper and a little nutmeg. Pour 3/4 of the mixture over the peppers. Lay the asparagus over the peppers. Carefully spoon the remaining custard over the asparagus. Bake the tart for 30 minutes (at 350F).

Slide onto a wire rack and leave for 30 minutes before un-molding. Garnish with dill.