Spargelwähe
This is the perfect tart for Spargelzeit, asparagus season, the very short window of time in Switzerland where asparagus is available and ubiquitous (more about it in my Spargelrisotto post).
You can customise it however you like, but rest assured that these sporadic spears are the star of the show.
I use my standard Wähe dough and custard filling to make this tart.
If desired, you can supplement you asparagus tart with different ingredients. Add a couple of cloves of roasted garlic to the custard, or a bit of grated cheese. You can add bacon or cured meat like Bündnerfleisch, or even put some blobs of soft goats cheese on top.
For the dough:
200 g flour
1 tsp salt
80 g butter, cold
125 ml water, cold
For the filling:
around 750 g asparagus
2 eggs
250 ml milk
100 ml cream
salt and pepper
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
For the dough:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Try not to overwork the dough or it will become tough.
Press the dough into a disc, wrap, and let cool in the fridge for about an hour.
Roll out your dough and line a 26 cm (10 inch) round tart pan or 18 x 30 cm (7 x 12 inch) rectangular tart pan and prick the bottom with a fork. Keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready.
When you are ready to bake:
Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6, bottom heat.
Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, salt and pepper.
Trim the asparagus, snapping off or peeling down the hard stems. If the spears are thick, cut them in half.
Place your tart pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and arrange the asparagus. Pour in the liquid.
Bake in the bottom half of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the liquid has set and the top has browned.
The amount of asparagus can vary. I usually start out with about 750 g, but by the time it is trimmed and chopped it weighs around 500 g. I like to halve the spears, but if you have thin ones, they can go in whole.
You can use all milk, all cream, or a mix of both.
To avoid a soggy bottom, roll the dough relatively thin, then bake in the bottom half of the oven, using bottom heat. I like to use French tart pans with removable bottoms.
