If you're searching for an original vegetarian dish that will impress your guests on Easter, I highly recommend trying out this recipe for savoury asparagus tartlets. These cute mini quiches feature a buttery shortcrust pastry base, filled with fresh asparagus, green peas, and flavourful Gruyere cheese. Topped with an egg and cream mixture and baked until golden, they make for a mouthwatering addition to any festive table.
If you're missing some of the ingredients for this recipe, don't worry – there are plenty of substitutions you can make to still create delicious tarts. For instance:
- Swiss Gruyere cheese is both expensive and hard to come by in some areas. If you find yourself in this situation, try substituting it with Swiss Emmental cheese or another type of cheese with a rich, intense flavour. Keep in mind, though that this will slightly change the taste of your tarts. Whatever you do, don't leave out the cheese entirely – it adds a nice rich flavour.
- To make my mini quiches look festive for Easter, I added hard-boiled quail eggs. However, I realise that these can be difficult to find. If you can't get your hands on any, don't worry – you can easily omit them in this recipe.
- As for herbs, I used just a pinch of dried thyme, but feel free to substitute it with fresh basil, parsley, chives, or any other herbs you prefer. It's all about personal taste!
Tartlets are a wonderful choice not only because of their delicious taste and elegant appearance but also because they're incredibly easy to prepare. You don't need exceptional skills to make them – anyone can do it!
Want to make the perfect crust for your mini quiches?
To ensure the crust bakes evenly, chill it thoroughly before placing it in the oven (you can do this in the fridge or freezer). I also recommend baking the shortcrust pastry with weight – simply line the crust with baking paper and fill it with special ceramic balls, dried beans, or peas. Towards the end of baking, remove the weight and paper so that the crust will brown nicely. And don't forget – you can even prepare and pre-bake the crust in advance!
Once your asparagus tartlets are ready, you can serve them warm right out of the oven or let them cool to room temperature for a different texture.
And if you're a fan of asparagus, be sure to explore other recipes that feature this spring ingredient. With the asparagus season just beginning, there are plenty of new ideas to discover!
Mini quiche with asparagus and Gruyere cheese
Equipment
- 8 tartlet tins (diameter 9 cm)
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g wheat flour
- 120 g cold butter
- 2 tbsp cold water
- generous pinch of salt
Filling
- 4 asparagus
- 4 tbsp green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 4 quail eggs (optional)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup double cream
- ¼ cup grated Gruyere cheese
- pinch of dried thyme
- salt to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the pastry, start by placing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cold, diced butter and mix until you have a crumbly texture. Add the cold water and quickly knead the dough until it comes together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- While the pastry is chilling, prepare the filling ingredients. Slice the asparagus into thin rounds, leaving the tips whole. If using frozen peas, remove them from the freezer. Boil the quail eggs for about 4 minutes, then peel and cut them in half. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, thyme, and salt.
- Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 3-4 mm thick. Use the pastry to line 8 small tartlet tins, pressing it firmly into the sides and bottom. Chill the tartlet tins in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃.
- Bake the pastry crust with weight (line the prepared crust gently with baking paper and fill it with ceramic balls or dried beans/peas) for about 15 minutes. Remove the paper and the weight, then continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Once the pastry bases have cooled slightly, fill each one with the sliced asparagus, green peas, quail egg halves, and grated Gruyere cheese. Pour the egg and cream mixture over the top of each tartlet. Bake the tartlets for about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
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