Mushroom and asparagus tart with puff pastry

This mushroom and asparagus tart with puff pastry is light and delicious. Packed with fresh seasonal produce, it begins with a rich mushroom duxelles base. Then layered with fresh asparagus, tomatoes and portobello mushrooms all topped with feta and basil. It is a delightful mix of earthy, umami and sweet flavours with a tender crunch and creamy texture.

This versatile recipe can be served for lunch or dinner as an appetizer or entree. Perfect for a picnic or entertaining friends. However, you choose to serve it, this mushroom and asparagus tart is sure to be a favourite.

Why you'll love this mushroom and asparagus tart with puff pastry

• Versatile - This tart recipe is perfect for so many occasions.
• The pastry base is so easy to assemble using puff pastry.
• Meal prep - a number of elements in this recipe can be prepped ahead making it quick and easy to assemble before baking.
• Storage - this tart stores well in the fridge, is easy to reheat and the leftovers are perfect for lunch.
• Health benefits - asparagus and mushrooms are packed with nutrients and have so many health benefits that they are a great addition to a healthy balanced diet.

Delicious with every bite, our best advice is to double the recipe to make two tarts as we guarantee this one will be popular.

Serve with our burrata tomato salad for a delicious pairing!

Ingredients and substitutions

• Puff pastry - we used a frozen puff flaky pastry sheet, measuring 24x23 cm (or 91/2 - 9 inches). You could also use blocks or homemade pastry rolled out to the same measurements. Allow frozen pastry to thaw out before preparing the tart.
• An egg
• Asparagus
• Portobello mushrooms - substitute with whatever mushrooms you have available to you.
• Butter
• Cherry tomatoes - or any variety of small tomatoes.
• Feta cheese - Could be substituted with goats cheese.
• Fresh basil leaves - optional garnish

For the mushroom duxelles:

• Button mushrooms - use whatever mushrooms are available to you
• olive oil
• butter
• Half an onion or one shallot
• Salt and pepper the season.

Step by step instructions

• We highly recommend a little miso en place before starting this recipe. Read through the recipe first and take a moment to prepare your equipment. Then gather and prep the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F) fan bake.

1. How to make mushroom duxelles

• Use a small blend to lightly pulse the mushrooms. Don't over-blend them, the texture should be mince like and not mushy. Or try the chef's method of preparing duxelles by finely chopping the mushrooms with a sharp knife.

• Over a medium heat, heat the butter and oil in a small saucepan. Add the diced onion with salt and pepper and allow the onions to cook till soft.

• Add the minced mushrooms to the pan and turn the heat down low.

• Cook the mushrooms until they are dark in colour and all the water has been cooked out. This should take around 15-20 minutes.

2. To make the tart

• Cook the filling ingredients. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Trim or snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. To blanch, add the asparagus to the water for 1 minute remove and cool under cold running water. Set aside till required.

• Bake the mushrooms - brush off any dirt and remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Place in a baking tray with small knob of butter, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

3. Prepare the puff pastry

• Cut a quarter off the side of the pastry sheet then from the excess quarter cut out four one cm strips, see picture for reference. Place the tart base on a baking tray with lightly greased baking paper.

• Brush the tart base with the egg wash. Use the strips to edge all four sides of the tart and trim off any overhang. Brush the edges with egg wash then use a fork to dock homes in the tart bases and edge pieces.

4. How to assemble the mushroom and asparagus puff pastry tart.

• To assemble your tart, start by spreading the cooled mushroom duxelles over the tart base, taking care to keep the edges clean. Then layer with the blanched asparagus.

• Slice the baked mushrooms and layer between the asparagus then add the halved tomatoes.

5. Bake and enjoy!

• Place the prepared tart into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 mins, till golden brown.
• Remove from the oven, crumble over the feat and garnish with fresh basil, serve warm or at room temperature.

Storage

Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, we recommend popping in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 180 °C (356 °F), cover with foil if needed to prevent edges from burning.

Serving suggestions

For a delicious dinner, serve this puff pastry mushroom and asparagus tart, with:

• A fresh salad - a classic green salad or try our orange and fennel salad.
• Potatoes - roasted or try our smoked salmon potato salad for a delicious combination.
• Soup - a tomato and basil soup or a classic French bouillabaisse for an elegant pairing.
• Couscous tabbouleh salad
• Roasted vegetables - like our roasted heirloom carrot salad.

Tips from the chef

Our method for making a tart base from puff pastry is really simple but here's a few tips to help you make the perfect base:

• Take care to apply the egg wash all over the tart base before adding the edge strips. This will help the strips stay in place and the pieces of pastry to seal together.
• When trimming the hungover off the strips, gently press the corners down to help them hold.
• Docking holes in puff pastry is an important step to prevent the tart from puffing up too much.
• When adding the duxelles take care to keep the edges clean, for both appearance and to prevent bits of mushrooms burning on the edges while baking.

More delicious appetizer ideas

Looking for more light dinner or appetizer recipes? Our mussels in a white wine cream sauce are always popular! These delicious Middle Eastern meatballs are perfect, serve with grilled flatbreads for a great sharing dish. How about a homemade sushi platter, see our guide to making sushi for an easy crowd-pleaser.