Asparagus Caesar Tart. (Photo by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post)
Every spring, one question starts to occupy more and more of my brain: How can I get more asparagus on the table?
As soon as the local spears appear in markets, I start steaming, shaving, broiling and roasting. But I live with people who aren’t as into what I consider spring’s biggest star as much as I am, so at some point I need to get a little more creative.
Last year, I bathed them in a vinaigrette and mounded fluffy grated eggs on top for the classic French dish asparagus Mimosa. (I know, I know, eggs are so expensive now! All the more reason to check out the vegan variation, which uses tofu and yellow bell pepper instead.)
This year, I’m pulling out one of my other go-to treatments, which consists of piling them on puff pastry dough to make a simple, buttery, crispy tart. But I wanted to dress it up a little more than usual, so I tried baking them under a blanket of thick Caesar dressing, with parmesan, lemon and black pepper sprinkled on top. (It’s a vegan version of Caesar, made with tofu for extra protein. I tried this tart with a more traditional, egg-based dressing, but because it’s thinner it didn’t work as well. If you have a favorite thick Caesar, you’re welcome to try it, but I can’t guarantee success.)
I like to arrange the asparagus so the tops and bottoms alternate, making them look like a lineup of siblings sleeping head to foot - and ensuring that no piece of the baked tart ends up with no tips. I also leave asparagus poking out from the top and bottom of the dressing blanket, as if those siblings are trying to at least partially escape it as the house heats up.
I haven’t used frozen puff pastry dough nearly as often as I used to, because I’m eating very little dairy these days and my favorite brand - Dufour - is layered with butter. But the company introduced a plant-based version a couple of years ago and it’s stellar, so my quick tart-making has been back in business.
This combination, with the sharp dressing contrasting with the grassy asparagus and the rich and crispy pastry, might just be my best use of the dough yet. It’s certainly my new favorite way to celebrate spring, and I plan to keep the party going until June.
The dressing goes over the asparagus in a wide ribbon, leaving tips and ends exposed. (Photo by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post)
This simple-to-assemble tart features tender asparagus baked under a blanket of vegan Caesar dressing on a crisp puff pastry crust. The recipe makes about twice as much dressing as needed for the tart, but you can use it on all manner of salads, roasted vegetables and more. Serve the tart with a salad and/or soup for a complete meal. For a party appetizer, cut into 12 pieces.
Servings: 4-8 (makes one 8-by-12-inch tart)
Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 50 minutes.
Substitutions: Dufour dairy-free pie and pastry dough >> Dufour all-butter puff pastry or Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, which is vegan. asparagus >> thin green beans, such as haricots verts. Nondairy parmesan cheese >> regular parmesan cheese.
Notes: If using Dufour all-butter puff pastry, unfold and smooth out the sheet, and press out any folds, no rolling needed. If using a 17-ounce package of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, unfold one of the two sheets and roll it out to a 9-by-13-inch rectangle.
Make ahead: The Caesar dressing can be made and refrigerated up to 4 days in advance. Bring to room temperature before assembling the dish and baking.
Storage: The tart is best when freshly made, but it can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
INGREDIENTS
One (10.8-ounce) package shelf-stable soft silken tofu, such as Mori-Nu brand
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon), divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Completed: 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons shiro (white) miso
One (14-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, preferably Dufour dairy-free pie and pastry dough, defrosted in the refrigerator (see Notes)
12 ounces asparagus, preferably thin, rinsed and thoroughly dried
2 ounces (1/2 cup) finely grated nondairy parmesan cheese, such as Follow Your Heart
Freshly cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a blender or food processor, combine the tofu, garlic, oil, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, the lemon juice, mustard, capers, nutritional yeast and miso, and puree until smooth. (You should have about 2 cups.)
Lay out the puff pastry on the prepared sheet pan. If using Dufour dairy-free dough, join the two 5-by-7 1/2-inch pieces to make a single 7 1/2-by-10-inch piece: Dampen the border of one piece, slightly overlap it with the other and press to seal. Roll it out to a 9-by-13-inch rectangle. (See Notes if using other types/brands of pastry.)
Fold over about 1/2 inch of the dough all the way around the sheet and press with the back of a fork to crimp. Use the fork to prick (dock) the pastry sheet.
Trim about 1 inch from the ends of the asparagus, or more, if needed, to remove any woody parts. (For a particularly pretty presentation, you can trim the ends at an angle.) If you’d like, use a vegetable peeler to shave the outer layer off about another 1 or 2 inches of the ends.
Arrange the asparagus on the pastry sheet in a single row, with the spears parallel to the short sides and alternating the direction the tips point, leaving the 1/2-inch border bare. Leaving the tips and ends of the spears exposed, spoon the dressing in a wide ribbon down the center of the spears. Sprinkle the parmesan over the dressing and exposed asparagus.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed and the tart is deeply browned. Use the parchment paper to transfer the tart to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and black pepper, cut into 8 pieces, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutritional information per serving (1 piece), based on 8: 411 calories, 28 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 31 g carbohydrates, 488 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g protein, 2 g fiber, 2 g sugar.
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice. From Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan.
