Asparagus has long been one of my favorite vegetables. I usually just roast it in the oven with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. I will continue to prepare it that way, but sometimes you just need to change it up a bit. When I first saw this recipe I thought it looked good but I wasn’t sure if adding puff pastry and cheese would ruin perfectly good asparagus. I mean would I still taste the asparagus, or would it be more like bread and cheese with just a hint of asparagus? I wanted to be able to taste the asparagus! Luckily, adding puff pastry and cheese did not overpower the asparagus. It was still nice and crisp, but now it was even better because it was also cheesy!
I made this for the first time about 1.5 weeks ago. I have already made it 3 more times since then! It is that good! The first time I made it I used only gruyere. It was good, but the cheese was a little too strong for me. The next 3 times I made it with a mix of gruyere and mozzarella. I much preferred it that way. I am sure you could use any combination of cheese if you don’t like gruyere. I brought this to 2 Easter parties that I attended and it was a hit with everyone. I think it looks like it might be hard to make, but really it couldn’t be easier. I let everyone believe that I slaved for hours preparing it though.
Here is what you'll need
Pierce with a fork
Bake for 15 minutes, if it puffs up too much pierce it again
Sprinkle with cheese
Cover with asparagus
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Drizzle with olive oil
Brush with olive oil
Bake for 15 more minutes
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a mix of gruyere and mozzarella)
about 1 lb asparagus
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Directions
Take the puff pastry out of the freezer at least 1 hour in advance. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay out 1 sheet of puff pastry on a cookie sheet. Pierce the dough with a fork, leaving 1 inch all the way around the rectangle for the crust. Piercing the dough will keep it from puffing up too much. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cut the woody ends off the the asparagus. Remove the pre-baked dough from the oven. Sprinkle with cheese. Line with the asparagus spears, tightly sandwiched, alternating ends and tips and trimming to fit, if necessary. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes, until the puff dough is well-browned and the asparagus is tender. Serve warm or room temperature with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
Source: Scarpetta Dolcetto
