Spring Garden Green Tart

Here's another tart from Eric Lanlard's Tart It Up ! collection of eye popping pies and tarts. It's almost asparagus season here in New England and the beginnings of the spears are starting to come to market. They're still from further south of here, but I always have to jump the gun at this time of year.
In another few weeks, this tart will be able to be made with fresh and local produce right from the Farmer's Market or back yard beds.

Isn't it pretty ? There is so much greenery in this special tart - asparagus, peas, edamame, clipped chives, and lemon thyme leaves. The custard is made with a blend of Greek yogurt, eggs, heavy cream, and white wine. There is a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and some crumbled Feta in the mix too. It is spiced with ground white pepper and Kosher salt. This is one jazzy tart! The smell is fantastic and I'll admit that I was sorely tempted to cut right into it, rather than wait for our supper. But no !! I'm delaying the gratification, so under the screen it goes!

 By the time I make a salad, it will be almost time to sit down for a meal. We're only getting mesclun greens from our garden right now, but SB planted more today so that we'll have them through the summer and the peas are in the ground and just starting to pop their seed casings. Now, if we can keep the deer out of the garden, we'll count ourselves lucky ducks!

So, it's this green tart and salad greens for supper this evening ! What fun springtime fare are you just champing at the bit to make ? Next on my docket is cream of asparagus soup and a good loaf of bread! And apple and rhubarb crisp!

Here's the recipe for the tart filling. Use your favorite pie crust recipe to make enough pie dough for a 10 x 13 tart pan or a large 10 1/2 inch round tart pan.

Spring Garden Green Tart Filling

Ingredients:

7 oz. asparagus spears, blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes and then cooled in an ice bath and drained

1/2 c. fresh or frozen peas, blanched for 2 minutes, drained and then cooled in an ice bath and drained

1/2 c. fresh fava beans (or edamame, if you can't find fava beans, blanched for 5 minutes and treated as above

3 eggs

1/3 c. Greek yogurt

a scant cup of heavy cream

a scant 1/2 c. dry white wine

1 tbsp. lemon thyme leaves

1 tbsp. snipped chives

a generous pinch of ground white pepper

a generous pinch of Kosher salt

1 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese, divided

1/3 c. crumbled Feta cheese

Making the Tart:

1. Make the pie dough and chill it while you prepare the vegetables.

2. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and blanche the asparagus first. Remove it to the ice bath and drop the peas into the same boiling water, remove them with a slotted spoon and drop them in the ice bath. Add the fava beans to the same water and complete the blanching process. Remove the fava beans and place them in the water bath. 

3. Drain all the veg and let it air dry for a few minutes, while you roll out the crust and blind bake it for fifteen minutes in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven.

4. While the crust bakes, prepare the custard filling. Whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, heavy cream, and the white wine. Stir in the pepper and salt and thyme and chives.

5. When the crust is baked, place half the Parmesan cheese in the bottom of the tart shell.

6. Arrange the asparagus spears in a pretty pattern over the cheese. Sprinkle on the peas and beans, distributing them evenly. Sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan and dot the Feta cheese around the top.

7. Gently pour the custard mix over and around the vegetables. Fill the pan right up to the top.

8 Place the tart on a larger cookie sheet and slide it carefully into the prepared oven on the middle rack.

9. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the custard is golden and puffed and a knife comes clean when the tart is poked at its center.

10. Cool slightly before removing the outer tart pan shell. Slide the warm tart onto a pretty plate and serve warm with a salad and a good glass of white wine.

11. Enjoy!