Asparagus, Pea, and Feta Tart
Time & Yield
Yield: 1 Tart (Serves 10)
Time: 7 Hours (if making puff pastry from scratch)
Ingredients
PUFF PASTRY FOR TART BASE
1 packet of puff pastry* We make homemade so included the recipe here
3 ½ to 4 cups (420g to 482g) flour
4 tbsp (57g) unsalted butter, chilled
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ cup (283g) cold water
32 tbsp (454g) unsalted butter, room temp
ASPARAGUS, PEA, AND FETA TART
350g frozen green peas, thawed overnight
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12-14 asparagus spears, peeled and trimmed
150g feta cheese
3 soft-boiled eggs
Micro-herbs for garnish (optional)
Recipe
To make puff pastry, follow the instructions until #12. Alternatively, store-bought can also be used: Measure the flour (3 ½ to 4 cups; 420g-482g) into a mixing bowl. Remove ½ cup of flour and set it aside in another bowl. Take the half stick of chilled butter (4 tbsp; 57g) and cut it into small pieces. Drop the butter into the flour. With two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal
Add the salt (1 tsp) to the water (1¼ cup; 283g) and add this to the flour and chilled butter mixture. Mix gently with a fork until you have a rough dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If you need to add more water, do it a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and the gluten has been somewhat developed, about 2 or 3 minutes. Pat the dough into a 9" square and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Take the remainder of the butter (32 tbsp; 454g) and the reserved flour (½ cup) and mix the two together until they're well blended and smooth. You can do this with a mixer, a food processor, with a spoon, or by hand. Pat this butter/flour mixture into an 8" square on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Cover it with second sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and put it on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll it into a square about 12" on each side. You don't have to be obsessive about the dimensions, but come pretty close
Once everything has chilled, arrange the dough as a square in front of you. Then place the chilled butter in the center of the dough rotated such that it resembles a diamond shape placed within the larger square of dough, instead of simply placing a smaller square within a larger square. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter until they meet in the middle. Pinch and seal the edges of the dough together (you should be left with a diamond shaped dough in front of you)
Turn the dough over and tap it gently with your rolling pin or by hand into a rectangular shape. (Make sure everything is still completely, but lightly, floured.) If the dough begins to feel too soft, cover it, put it on a small baking sheet, and refrigerate it for 15 minutes
Roll the dough into a larger rectangle, 20" x 10". As you work, keep the dough, the table, and the rolling pin well dusted with flour. Turn the dough over from time to time to keep the layers even. Again, you don't have to be obsessive about the dimensions, but come pretty close
When the dough is the right size, brush any excess flour off the top, and fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center and the top third over (like a business letter). Line the corners up as neatly as you can; if they need help sticking together, dab them with a little water, and turn the dough package 1/4 turn to the right so it looks like a book ready to be opened. If the dough is still cold and relaxed, do another rolling and turning the same way. (Again, if it begins to feel too soft, cover it, put it on a small baking sheet, and refrigerate it for 15 minutes to chill)
If you've successfully rolled it out and folded it twice, you've completed two turns. Classic puff pastry gets six. Continue refrigerating it after each two turns (or more often if necessary) until all six turns are completed. Keep track of how many turns you've made.
When all six turns are done, put the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour (and preferably overnight) before shaping.
To make the Tart: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Put the peas (350g) in a bowl and crush them. Stir in the lemon zest (from 1 lemon), lemon juice (from 1 lemon) and olive oil (3 tbsp). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
Put the pastry on the prepared tray and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown, puffed up and very firm. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.
When the water is boiling, add the raw eggs (3, still in their shells) and cook for exactly 7 minutes. Remove the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Once cool enough to touch (30 seconds), peel the shell off and set aside.
Heat a chargrill pan or a barbeque grill to high. Drizzle the asparagus with the remaining olive oil (1 tbsp) and sprinkle with the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until grill marks appear.
To assemble the tart, put the pastry on a serving board and top with the crushed pea mixture. Crumble the feta (150g) evenly over the tart. Top with the grilled asparagus and tear the soft-boiled eggs (3)in half and arrange them on the tart. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter over the micro-herbs, if using. Serve
NOTES
The pastry has a potentially longer than expected cooking time. Once cut, it needs to be able to hold its shape and soak up the juices.
Source:
Asparagus, Pea, and Feta Tart: MindFood
Puff Pastry: King Arthur Baking Company