Angie and I were sitting around my kitchen table on a Sunday night, chatting, sipping wine and recapping our weekends. Her infamous puppy, a mini-dachshund affectionately known as Princess Lulu was snuggled in my lap, likely positioned as such because she knows from experience that I drop food.

In any event, we were enjoying the tart you’re looking at above – a perfect compilation of tender asparagus, flaky puff pastry and salty prosciutto – when Lulu must have thought we were just distracted enough and decided to strike.

That’s right. Before I could say “Lulu, no,” the eleven-pound gourmand had Hoover-style inhaled a piece of tart straight from my plate.

“Can she eat asparagus?” I asked.

Her mama shrugged. “She eats everything.”

Next time I babysit Miss Lulu, I’m going to make sure to stock up on plenty of truffle oil to garnish her dog food and instead of peanut butter to stuff in her Kong ball to distract her for oh, twenty minutes, I’ll invest in some roasted macadamia nut butter.

Until then, she’s stuck with puff pastry.

Puppies aside, this is an excellent appetizer for a spring or summer dinner and delicious with a glass of wine. You could also serve this in the morning for breakfast, cut into squares and topped with a poached egg.

Asparagus Tart with Prosciutto & Parmesan

What you need:

1 sheet puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farm)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto
16 asparagus spears (about a pound; you can use more or less if desired), rinsed and thick stems removed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (if using a different brand of puff pastry, preheat according to directions on box). Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions.

2. Once thawed, place puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper or silipat and roll out to approximately 10 inches (you’ll want it to fit on a standard sized cookie sheet).

3. Slice prosciutto into thin strips and arrange on pastry. Line the asparagus on top of the prosciutto. Scatter the Parmesan cheese on top of the asparagus and drizzle with the olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. 4. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry dough has puffed and brown and asparagus is roasted and cooked through.

Tagged as: Asparagus Tart, Asparagus Tart with Prosciutto and Parmesan, Parmesan, Prosciutto