Spring time tart: Asparagus and Gruyère

Three delicious ingredients when put together make a tart so divine you can almost hear the angels sing. Or wait, maybe that was just us in a chorus of mmmmmmmm's. It made a terrific appetizer to our dinner but I can also see this as our main course during the summer with a salad for a light meal.

Ever since I picked up Everyday Food: Great Food Fast I've wanted to make this tart. It is so simple. With the tiny spring asparagus out now, this was so tender and the pastry was so flaky.




Ingredients

* Flour, for work surface
* 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
* 5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyère cheese, shredded
* 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyère. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyère, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.