Which do you prefer: white or green asparagus?
How about eating both, in a delicious tarte featuring a crispy, crunchy shell, accompanied by a cheesy, creamy filling? Wait, you want more flavours? How about lush, fresh cherry tomatoes?
Well – wait no longer! Here it comes! Gluten-free Asparagus Tarte!
But, before we start, a word: You can have a lot when you live gluten-free, but the amazingly fluffy, light-as-air croissants and pains-au-chocolate from Paris play in a whole different league. Gluten-free puff-pastry is the ultimate object of impossibility for people with celiac disease. It’s also the ultimate challenge for gluten-free bakers. So far I don’t really know anyone who has been able to master it in ways that compare to the glutinous deal. Yes, there are numerous attempts (and it’s so much work!). I’ve also had puff pastry from various gluten-free manufacturers, but none of them compared to the crispy, fluffy result of Croustipate, a refrigerated gluten-free puff pastry made in France, which in my opinion is the best gluten-free puff pastry available on the market at the moment.
As a matter of fact, it created a tiny revolution within the gluten-free community. It’s that good. It is crunchy, it has the feel of a proper puff-pastry, and it’s indefinitely crispy and doesn’t create the illusion of total fattiness and it doesn’t have a funny aftertaste or any of those things that are often attributes of this type of product (in my humble opinion).
Here in Germany, you can purchase Croustipate at select supermarkets, such as Kaufland. I hope they will continue selling this particular brand of gluten-free puff pastry for years to come, because they’ve brought back a lot of dishes from days long past for me and many other people with celiac disease. I’ll be featuring these creations on the blog throughout the summer! So, stay tuned, come back, keep the excitement going!
I’ll start with an asparagus tarte. It features the best of both worlds: green AND white asparagus.
And cheese! What’s not to love?
PS.: If you don’t have access to gluten-free puff-pastry, you can try my recipe for gluten-free quiche crust instead.
Gluten-free Asparagus Tarte with Croustipate Puff-Pastry
Ingredients
1 gluten-free puff pastry (e.g. from Croustipate)
500g green asparagus, cooked
500g white asparagus, cooked
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
200ml whipping cream (or 100ml whipping cream and 100ml milk)
3 free-range organic eggs (size L)
1 tbsp corn starch
salt, pepper
75g cheese (e.g. Gruyere, Appenzeller or – in case you like it less smelly – mozzarella), grated
Heat your oven to 200°C.
Line a round cake tin (about 24cm in diameter) with a baking parchment.
Remove gluten-free puff pastry from fridge and line the baking tin with it.
Arrange most of the green and white asparagus within the crust.
Cover the first layer of asparagus with a bit of cheese. Arrange the second layer of asparagus, decoratively arrange the cherry tomatoes, cover with the remainder of the cheese,
Place the whipping cream (and if you are using it: milk) and the cornstarch in a bowl.
Whisk until lump-free. Add the eggs and whisk until they are incorporated into the creamy mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour evenly over tarte.
Place tarte in oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until done.
The cheese should be golden brown, the tomatoes slightly roasted.
Serve warm – or at room temperature.
Accompany with a freshly dressed, simple salad and a tall glass of cold white wine or homemade lemonade!
