Tomato, Asparagus, Brie, and Parmesan Tart

This Tomato, Asparagus, Brie and Parmesan Tart is perfect for Spring.  It's great as an appetizer, fun side, or even as a meal for 2 to 3 people.  I love the fresh flavors of tomatoes, asparagus, Brie, and parmesan.  Simple to make and yet so elegant.  

This is really easy to make since you use store bought puff pastry sheets found in the frozen dessert aisle of your local grocery store.  Simply thaw puff pastry and lay it on a parchment lined baking sheet.  You may want to use a sided baking sheet as you can see my little cheese run-off on the side.  

Next you spread a layer of double creme Brie cheese on the pastry dough.  I removed the rind and used the soft cheese inside because it was easy to spread that way.  But you could also use slices of Brie and spread them rind and all as best you can.  The cheese will melt either way.  I am not one for food waste, so we enjoyed the rind pieces on crackers topped with sliced tomatoes for a delicious little snack.  

Top with veggies, olive oil, salt, and parmesan and bake for about 30 minutes for a delicious Spring treat.  I should add that asparagus is in season now so you should be able to find it for a decent price.  I think I paid $0.99 a pound for this asparagus which is really good.  Also, asparagus is on the clean 15 list meaning it has little to no pesticides and is considered safe to consume non-organic.  

​When you buy asparagus, it will be in a one pound bunch which is more than you need for this tart recipe.  You can roast the extra in a pan with a little olive oil and salt while baking the tart.  It won't take as long, maybe 15 minutes or so.  So start it halfway through cooking the tart and check to see when it reaches your desired tenderness.  Or you can put the leftover asparagus in the fridge for a few days until you need it.  

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Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry dough, thawed
10-13 oz. package of double creme Brie cheese
3-4 Campari tomatoes, sliced thin
About 1/3 pound asparagus spears, washed and trimmed
Olive oil to drizzle or spritz
Fresh ground salt
Small chunk of Parmesan cheese to grate

​1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  
2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Use a sided pan if you have it.  (See my cheese explosion than ran off the side of my pan, pictured above.)
3.  Place a sheet of puff pastry dough on the parchment lined baking sheet.
4.  Spread a layer of Brie cheese over the pastry dough.  I just used the soft creamy inside and not the rind.  
5.  Place tomato slices over the Brie spread.
6.  Next layer asparagus spears over the tomato slices.
7.  Drizzle or spritz olive oil over vegetables.  (Link to the spritzer I use below.)
8.  Top with some fresh ground salt.  Then grate some Parmesan cheese on top.
9.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry is done.  

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These are some of my favorite kitchen gadgets that I use all the time.  I love this grater because it fits easily into a drawer and is super easy to use.  This EVO olive oil sprayer is my favorite because it works so well.  Just the right amount of olive oil or anything else you want to spritz.  It has never jammed up or failed in any way and I have been using mine for about a year now.  

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