The Perfect (Dairy Free) Asparagus Tart

There’s something inherently spring-timey about an asparagus tart, not sure why since asparagus is technically a summer vegetable (not that that stops me from eating it year round, either).

But something about the flaky tart, just screams serve me for Easter to me. And that’s exactly what I intend to do. Even this year when we’re all under quarantine orders and I’m having Easter brunch for one.

While this would normally be a perfect side dish for Easter brunch I’ll be enjoying it as my main course since it’s more than large enough for one. (It should feed about eight people if you’re serving it as a side.)

This super simple Vegan Asparagus Tart is a big hit with even the friends of mine who can eat dairy so don’t be afraid to serve it regardless of who is coming to dinner.

Ingredients:

Asparagus (about 30 stalks)

Puff Pastry (take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the day before to thaw it out and get it all ready to go)

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup of Raw Cashews

1/4 cup Water

1/2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (check the expiration date on your ACV, while it doesn’t technically expire the flavor becomes increasing stronger the older your bottle is, you don’t want to use one close to, or past the expiration date; speaking from experience here)

1 teaspoon Agave Nectar (honey or maple syrup can be substituted but will alter the flavor of the cashew cheese and are not recommended)

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

As I said before, make sure you put take your puff pastry out of the freezer and move it to the fridge to thaw the day before so it’s all ready to go.

Soak your cashews in water for 6 hours. If you have a food processor, or high powered blender, you can skip this step and just use the raw cashews without soaking them first.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place your puff pastry on the baking sheet.

Use a fork to gently mark out a one inch border around the edge of your puff pastry. Stab the inside of the puff pastry with the fork but without piercing the dough all the way through.

Put the cashews, water, lemon juice, agave nectar, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt into the blender and blend until smooth.

Boil water for the asparagus. While the water is boiling, go ahead and snap the bottoms of the stalks off the asparagus. You should only boil the asparagus for 6-7 minutes. You want them to still be relatively sturdy when they go on the tart.

Pour out the cashew cheese spread into the center of the tart, making sure to keep it inside the square you marked out earlier. The edges of the pastry won’t rise correctly if they’ve got the sauce on them. Do make sure to spread the mix out to cover the entirely of the square, though.

Place the lightly boiled asparagus on the tart directly on top of the cashew cheese spread.

Gently brush the olive oil onto the frame of the puff pastry on the outside of the square.

This is when you can add the pepper to the top of the tart before putting it in the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. The pastry should have a barely golden brown tint to it.

Let cool before eating.

Enjoy!

xo,

Kate