Parmesan Asparagus Puff Pastry Tarts

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

Puff pastry can really elevate any dish. It's light and flaky and bakes up golden brown. I've always loved its versatility. It's the star of multi-layer desserts like a French Napoleon. Or twist it with parmesan for simple and thoroughly delicious cheese straws. Recipe developer Lily Ghodrati recently posted a video on TikTok featuring honey, nectarines, and puff pastry. She baked the tarts with the puff pastry on top and flipped them over after baking, very much like what you would do with the classic French dessert tarte tatin. Her video went viral, garnering over 45 million views. It has since spurred many other creators to share savory and sweet puff pastry videos using the same method with the puff pastry on top. The benefit of baking with the puff pastry on top of the filling is that the puff pastry stays flaky and crisp without the filling making it soggy.

I decided to hop on the upside down puff pastry train as well with parmesan asparagus tarts. I started with a layer of parmesan cheese, topped with asparagus and prosciutto, and then slathered in compound butter before finishing with a strip of puff pastry. When baked upside down, the parmesan forms a crispy crust. And the compound butter infuses everything while allowing the puff pastry to remain crispy. I used Challenge Unsalted Butter to make the compound butter. Challenge Unsalted Butter is 100% real cream butter—nothing artificial or synthetic.

There are a few things to keep in mind when working with puff pastry:

• You can make your own puff pastry, but the only time I've done that is in culinary school. If you buy puff pastry, look for all butter dough. It makes a big difference.
• Make sure the puff pastry is thawed, but it still needs to be cold. It shouldn't be room temperature. You want the buttery layers to remain separate. Work quickly once it is thawed.
• Make clean cuts so you don't crush the layers, which would prevent it from puffing.

Parmesan asparagus puff pastry tarts

Yield: Makes about 12 tarts

Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the compound butter

• 1 stick of Challenge unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 Tablespoon chives, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the tarts

• 1 roll puff pastry, thawed but still cold
• Parmesan cheese, grated (you’ll need about 1 cup)
• 12 asparagus spears, woody ends removed
• About 3 slices prosciutto, cut in fourths
• Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Cut puff pastry into 12 equal pieces. Return to refrigerator.
3. Mix compound butter ingredients together. Set aside.
4. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. 
5. Sprinkle parmesan cheese in strip about the length of an asparagus spear in one corner of parchment paper. 
6. Place 1 asparagus spear on top of parmesan.
7. Place 1 piece prosciutto on top of asparagus.
8. Place about 1 Tablespoon compound butter over prosciutto.
9. Remove puff pastry from refrigerator and lay one strip over prosciutto. Brush with egg wash.
10. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and flip each tart over before serving.

Spring lasagna using seasonal vegetables

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I cannot stress enough the importance of eating seasonally and eating locally. First of all, fruits and vegetables are most flavorful when they’re in season. That’s because the produce is growing close to where you love, so it can be harvested at its peak when it is most flavorful. It’s not being harvested early and sitting in a shipping container awaiting a trip across the continent before reaching your table. Produce loses a substantial amount of taste when it ripens after it’s picked from the vine. Also, because the produce is being grown closer to where you live, you’re supporting local farmers by buying their products.

When talking about eating seasonally, I can’t neglect to point out the obvious — it’s significantly cheaper! I remember back in December I saw asparagus listed at $3.99 per pound. No wonder people think it’s expensive! But that’s just because it wasn’t in season. Asparagus is known as a spring vegetable, so of course it’s being shipped from somewhere far away in order for it to be available in December. But as asparagus season gets closer, this week I saw it as low aa $1.39 per pound. That’s a huge difference!

Speaking of asparagus, did you know that it’s actually one of the earliest crops available in Indiana. It’s season is from April to June. Spinach is also one of the earliest crops to pop up in the state. So in the spirit of eating seasonally, I decided to create a “Spring Lasagna” using both of those vegetables. It’s much lighter than a traditional red meat sauce lasagna. I think the lemon zest really brings out the flavor of the cheeses. I did not add meat to this lasagna because I haven’t shared any meatless recipes in a while, and I thought it was rich enough without meat. But if you are really dying to get that extra protein, I think pancetta sprinkled in between the layers would be delightful. Or also, you could add shredded chicken.

One last thing that’s important for me to note: I used oven-ready lasagna noodles. Why? Well, first of all, it’s easier, and you all know I opt for the route with less steps. And secondly, oven-ready lasagna noodles are generally thinner which contribute to this dish being lighter than most lasagna recipes.

Spring Lasagna
Yield: Serves about 9 people, depending how big you cut your slices
Ingredients

• 12 ounces asparagus
• 1/3 cup Challenge butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1/4 cup basil
• 2 1/2 cups ricotta
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella
• 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 9 oven-ready lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Prepare asparagus by cutting off about the last inch of the stalk; proceed to cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces
2. Microwave asparagus pieces in microwave-safe bowl for 3 minutes to make pieces more tender
3. Separate asparagus tips from rest of asparagus pieces and set aside; this is because the tips are the “prettiest” part of the asparagus and they will be sprinkled on top in the final step
4. Start making sauce by melting butter in large saucepan
5. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk for 1 minute to make a roux
6. Add milk and whisk for about 10 minutes until sauce starts to thicken; do not let sauce boil
7. Add cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and nutmeg
8. Stir in basil and set aside
9. Make filling by mixing together ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, salt, and Italian seasoning; set aside
10. Spray 9x13 pan and put a little sauce at bottom of pan before adding noodles
11. Add 3 lasagna noodles over top of the sauce; followed by 1 cup of sauce. Spread sauce across noodles to coat evenly
12. Add half of ricotta cheese mixture on top of sauce, and then add half of your asparagus pieces 
13. Repeat the steps of this assembly one more time
14. Finish by adding 3 lasagna noodles; 1 cup of sauce; parmesan; and asparagus tips
15. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes