Puff Pastry Tart

Why This Recipe is a Keeper!

While making puff pastry at home is possible, frozen puff pastry sheets are a terrific no-fail convenience item that delivers professional results.

Two puff pastry sheets from a well-known brand are overlapped, placed together, and rolled out to extend their size. They fit perfectly into a 15 x 10-inch rimmed baking sheet to create one large puff pastry tart, perfect for a large group.

This puff pastry tart recipe, topped with asparagus, artichokes, and scallions for spring, is super versatile and can be made with any combination of vegetables and cheeses all year round. Try zucchini, yellow squash, or tomatoes in the summertime or butternut squash in the fall.

This Puff Pastry Tart recipe is:

• Super easy! Purchased puff pastry makes it easy, and the asparagus and scallions only require minimal cooking before being placed on the tart.
• Elegant! This Puff Pastry Vegetable Tart is perfect for any spring special occasion, from holidays to bridal brunches to Mother’s Day!
• Versatile! Vary the veggies according to the season!

How to Make a Puff Pastry Tart:

Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions:

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe. The exact quantities are on the puff pastry tart recipe card below.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

• Puff Pastry: Pepperidge Farm is the most well-known brand of puff pastry, but DuFour will also give you excellent results. You’ll find both in the frozen desserts section of your grocery store. I use both frequently and have good luck with both. The only problem is that if the puff pastry you purchased is folded, the seams must be repaired. Thaw frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator for six to eight hours or thaw at room temperature for approximately 40 minutes or until you can unfold it. Don’t let it get warm; doing so will make it difficult to work with because of the butter content. You can also use regular pie crust for the crust, but you need to blind-bake first. This post for my asparagus tart shows you how.
• Asparagus: Use thin to medium-width asparagus.
• Artichoke Hearts: Even when fresh, artichokes have a delicate flavor. I prefer to use frozen artichokes in this vegetable tart recipe because frozen artichokes taste the most like fresh artichokes. Whether you use canned or frozen artichoke hearts, both should be patted dry to remove excess moisture.
• Asiago / Parmesan: For the best flavor, grate the cheese yourself.
• Ricotta Cheese: I like to use whole milk ricotta because it has the best flavor and texture. Always buy a quality whole milk ricotta such as Murray’s.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

• Gather and prep all the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Spray a 15 x 10-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the asparagus, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until it turns bright green.
• Add the scallion and cook it briefly to soften it.
• Set that aside to cool while prepping the puff pastry crust.

• Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto a floured work surface.
• Repair the folds by pressing them back together.
• Stack the sheets so they overlap slightly–approximately 1 to 2 inches.

• Roll the puff pastry out to create a piece 1 to 2 inches larger than the 15 x 10-inch rimmed baking sheet, using the baking sheet as a guide.

• Carefully transfer the rolled-out puff pastry dough to the prepared baking sheet.
• Fold any excess edge back down to form a crust.
• Dock the puff pastry with a fork.
• MAKE AHEAD: Prepare the dough and have all the other ingredients prepped, and the asparagus and scallions lightly cooked as directed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble and bake.

• Start the layering process:
  • Sprinkle half the Asiago or Parmesan cheese over the unbaked crust.
  • Evenly scatter the artichoke hearts, scallions, and asparagus over the cheese. (When arranging the asparagus, consider what the finished tart will look like.)
  • Sprinkle the remaining Asiago or Parmesan cheese over the vegetables.

• Mix the ricotta cheese, eggs, and cream or half-and-half in a medium bowl until very smooth.

• Add salt and black pepper, then pour the egg combination over the vegetables.
• Drop the goat cheese evenly over the tart.

• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Continue baking for an additional 25 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden and the center is set.
• Using a large pancake turner or spatula or two, you should be able to easily slide the puff pastry tart off the sheet pan.

Chef Tips and Tricks:

• Thaw frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator for six to eight hours or thaw at room temperature for approximately 40 minutes or until you can unfold it. Don’t let it get warm; the butter content will make it difficult to work with.
• To roll the puff pastry onto the baking sheet without tearing it or stretching it out more, lightly flour the puff pastry and roll it onto a well-floured rolling pin. Place the rolling pin on one of the short sides of the sheet pan and unroll the pastry onto the sheet pan, making adjustments to placement as needed.
• When trimming the tough ends off asparagus, bend one of the stalks in the lower ⅓ until it breaks. Where it breaks, you should cut the remainder of the bunch. They’re all typically the same size in the bunch, so they have the same “breaking point” because they were most likely growing next to each other.
• To give the puff pastry an extra touch of golden, brush it with an egg wash before baking.

Storage:

• Any leftovers should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. They should be reheated at 325 degrees in an oven or toaster oven until hot.

Serve with:

• Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
• Spinach Goat Cheese Bisque with Crispy Lemon Chickpeas
• French Lentil Salad

More elegant tart recipes!

• Asparagus Onion and Fontina Tart
• Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme
• Provencal Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart
• Tomato Ricotta Tart

Get all my quiche and tart recipes here! Quiche and Tart Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen