Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts

As I mentioned in this post, I am a new discoverer of Aldi's, and, as such, have gone a bit crazy stocking up on staples and their lovely fresh produce. So much so that I found I had almost more asparagus than I knew what to do with. So, I've been perusing and trying all sorts of recipes, and, in the doing, coming up with a lot of winners. 

When I found a recipe for Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts (Did I also mention that I'd bought my weight in mushrooms? Yeah. That's a lot of mushrooms.), I knew I had to give this a try. The whole idea of a tart appealed to me anyway because it reminded me of our trip to Paris when we'd slip into a little café and nosh on one. The night before I chose to make these I pulled a package of puff pastry sheets out of the freezer and placed it into the fridge for thorough thawing.

To make things super easy on myself, I made the filling early in the day so all I had to do was fill the pastry and bake. Only, it wasn't quite that easy. It seemed, upon closer examination, that I didn't have puff pastry sheets at all, but a package of puff pastry shells, and only two of them at that. Huh. What else could I do, but place them side-by-side between two pieces of cling film, roll them together, trim the edges, score, fill, and bake. So I did, and look how beautiful it is! Not only beautiful, but also delicious; this is definitely a keeper.

Further, with the leftover filling, I topped slices of baguette (a la the Pimiento Cheese Toasts), ran them under the broiler, and served them the next day for lunch with a bowl of summer chowder. The next time I serve them on slices of baguette (and there will be a next time), I'll do a quick dice so the filling fits a bit better onto the slices.

I love it when a recipe can be super easy, exceptionally delicious, and serve dual purposes.

 Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts

Slightly adapted from epicurious.com

 1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1/4 cup unsalted butter
12 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, and sliced

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Grating or two of fresh nutmeg
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)
Preheat to 400°F.
Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2 rimmed baking sheets.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in sour cream, cheese, and nutmeg, if desired.. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.

Bake tarts 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to bake tarts until crusts are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Serve.

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