Herby Asparagus Bacon Tart Recipes

HERBY ASPARAGUS & BACON TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry to about 15 x 30cm, the thickness of a £1 coin, and trim the edges. Transfer to a lightly floured baking tray. Score a 1cm border, making sure you don't go all the way through the base. Prick all over the base with a fork, brush the edges of the tart with beaten egg and bake for 15 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the lardons until golden and crisp. Mix the ricotta, mascarpone, lemon zest, herbs and half the Parmesan in a bowl with salt and lots of black pepper.
• Remove tray from the oven, squash down centre of the tart and spread with cheese mixture. Scatter over the bacon, reserving the oil. Place asparagus along length of the tart, alternating direction of the tips. Brush with a little bacon oil, scatter over the remaining Parmesan and bake for 20 mins more. Serve warm.

FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Discard grease.
• Melt butter in the same skillet.
• Cook and stir asparagus and shallot with salt and black pepper in melted butter and bacon. Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer asparagus mixture to a platter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Wash and trim asparagus spears.
• Cut bacon strips in half crosswise.
• Wrap one-half strip bacon around each asparagus spear, leaving tip and end exposed.
• Lay on a cookie sheet with sides.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• **Note: You may want to try my Baked Bacon recipe #187790 for 10 minutes, to avoid over cooking asparagus.

FONTINA ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; add asparagus. Cook, covered, until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and pat dry., On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry sheet into a 16x12-in. rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes., Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry to within 1/2-in. of edges. Place asparagus over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over top. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

ASPARAGUS, BASIL, & CREAM CHEESE TART WITH OPTIONAL BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place thawed pastry on a lightly floured rolling space and, using a rolling iron, roll into a 10-inch by 14-inch rectangle.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully transfer the puff pastry to the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit until cool, at least 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the cream cheese, onion, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Mix together with a fork. Set aside.
• Bring a large bot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice. Add asparagus to the boiling water and cook for one minute. With tongs, lift the asparagus out of the boiling water and dunk in the ice water to help stop the cooking.
• Make a pile of 3 - 4 paper towels and move asparagus to the paper towels. Gently blot until dry. Add asparagus to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat.
• Spoon cream cheese onto cooled puff pastry crust. Spread to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Arrange asparagus on top of cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of coarse salt, if desired.
• Return tart to oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until cream cheese is warm and asparagus is tender.
• If adding bacon, sprinkle it on after baking, or cut into squares and top individual squares if desired.

ASPARAGUS, BACON & SHALLOT TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to an 11-in. tart pan and press into edges. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Prick crust with a fork 5 or 6 times; line with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is light golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 375°., Trim tough ends from asparagus. Reserve 8 spears; cut remaining asparagus into 1/2-in. pieces., In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, 6-8 minutes; remove and drain. Add olive oil to skillet, then red onion, shallot and chopped asparagus; cook and stir until softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Return bacon to pan; stir in tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Spoon into crust., Whisk eggs and cream; stir in cheddar cheese until blended. Pour over top. Arrange reserved asparagus spears in a spoke pattern with tips facing outward. Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

BACON-ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line half sheet pan with parchment paper. Mix together 1 egg and heavy cream to make egg wash. Set aside.
• Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to make a slightly larger rectangle. Using a sharp paring knife, gently score a 3/4" border, carefully cutting halfway through pastry. Using a fork, gently prick center area all over. This will prevent the middle from rising out of control. Brush border lightly with egg wash and bake 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool slightly. Reserve egg wash.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon and drain, and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the asparagus to pan and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. (The asparagus will cook more in the oven).
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, gruyere, chives, remaining egg, remaining egg wash, and black pepper. Spread cheese mixture evenly across center of puff pastry, leaving 3/4" border. Evenly arrange asparagus across center of pastry. Lightly drizzle asparagus with olive oil and bake until pastry is golden brown and asparagus is fork tender, 25 minutes.
• Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt and serve immediately.

BACON, ONION AND CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a medium saute pan, cook the bacon over a medium-low heat until it begins to render, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper. Set aside to let cool. Add the thyme to the cooled bacon-onion mixture.
• In a bowl, combine the farmer's cheese, creme fraiche, egg yolk and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Flour a flat surface and place the puff pastry on top. Flour the top and gently roll into a 13-by-18-inch rectangle. Cut the pastry in half and transfer each to a lined sheet pan. Using a fork, dock the puff pastry (pierce it slightly with the tines), leaving a 1-inch border untouched.
• Divide the cheese mixture between the two sheets of pastry and spread evenly on the docked area. Top each tart with half of the bacon-onion mixture.
• Place the tarts in the oven on the lower racks and bake, rotating halfway through, until the crusts are dark golden, about 25 minutes. Garnish with the pecorino and chives.

CHICKEN & BACON TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Saute onions and apples in drippings until tender. Stir in the chicken, jelly, thyme and salt., On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Roll into a 10-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Transfer to a 15x10x1-in. parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick with a fork., Spread chicken mixture over pastry to within 1 in. of edges. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper. Press edges with a fork, forming a decorative border., Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley.

BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS ON TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet.
• Toast bread in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned but still pliable, about 8 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook uncovered until bright green, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir asparagus in hot butter under tender, about 5 minutes. Cut asparagus into pieces that will fit the bread slices. Season with garlic salt; wrap with bacon slices.
• Arrange bacon-wrapped asparagus on toasted bread slices. Cover with mozzarella cheese slices. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until mozzarella cheese is melted and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Lay puff pastry out on the prepared baking sheet. Fold edges up to create a 1/2-inch wide border. Prick inside base of dough completely with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and puffed, about 10 minutes. Press puffed center down with the back of a fork to deflate.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook uncovered until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Stir mustard, creme fraiche, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl; spread into the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Lay asparagus spears, trimming as necessary to fit the tart shell, in the center of the tart on top of the mustard spread. Brush melted butter over the asparagus and crust and sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top.
• Bake in the oven until pastry is browned and asparagus is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.