Asparagus Gruyere Tart.

 

    Flour, for dusting
   1 sheet frozen puff pastry
 5 1/2 ounces  (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
 1 tablespoon olive oil
  Salt and pepper

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inches rectangle. Trim uneven edges.  

  With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2 inch intervals.

    Place pastry on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

  Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere cheese.

    Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell. Arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and bake until asparagus is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

   Makes 6 or 8 appetizers.

    

Puff - Pastry Tomato Tart.

  Ingredients:

     1  sheet  of  17.3-ounce  package  Pepperidge  Farms  Puff  Pastry,  thawed
     1  pint  cherry  or  grape  tomatoes
     1  cup  shredded  mozzarella  cheese
     2  tablespoons  chopped  basil  or  parsley
     Olive  oil,  salt,  pepper

Instructions:
1.   Preheat  the  oven  to  400  degrees  F.
2.  Cut  tomatoes  in  half  and  toss  with  oil,  basil  or  parsley,  salt  and  pepper.

3.  Unfold  the  pastry  sheet  on  a  lightly  floured  parchment  paper.  Lay  a  sheet  of  plastic  wrap  on  top  of  the  pastry  and  with  a  rolling  pin,  gently  roll  the  pastry  sheet  into  a  14  by  12 - inch  rectangle. 

  4.  With  a  knife,  score  the  puff  pastry  all  along  the  sides  about  1/2  inch,  brush  with  water  (just  sides)  and  fold  to  make  a  border.  Transfer  the  pastry  with  parchment  paper  to  the  baking  sheet  and  dock  with  a  fork.

   5.  Sprinkle  cheese  on  the  pastry,

   and  top  with  the  tomatoes.  (Make  sure  the  cut  side  of  the  tomatoes  facing  up,  so  that  their  juice  doesn't  make  pastry  to  soggy).

 6.  Bake  for  20 - 25  minutes.