Asparagus and Prosciutto Roll Ups

I blissfully spent this weekend in the kitchen preparing many new recipes that I had been meaning to try for some time. One such recipe was this lovely asparagus and prosciutto roll up. I have encountered several roll-type recipes on tastespotting.com and this one caught my eye. At first I was going to use only the asparagus because I knew that I already had it in the fridge, but upon coming home last night I discovered that my mom and brother had purchased prosciutto on a whim earlier in the day. Clearly the food gods were sending me a message...and I decided to listen.

The beauty of these roll ups, and really any roll ups, is that the variety of fillings is endless. To make the process even simpler, I use pre-made crescent dough which is already portioned into triangles and ready to be rolled. I made these rolls three ways...ones with only parmesan cheese, ones spread with mustard, and ones spread with creamy horseradish. Although all three tasted great, I think my favorite was the one with the mustard; it provided a little kick which pleasantly complemented the saltiness of the prosciutto and the flakiness of the dough.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Roll Ups

• 1 package crescent rolls
• 8 stalks of asparagus 
• 8 slices prosciutto
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Optional: Dijon mustard

1. Snap the ends off the asparagus and cut each piece in half. Place asparagus pieces in a microwavable bowl and pour just enough water to cover. Microwave for 2 minutes on 50% power with a paper towel over top.
2. Meanwhile, open the package of crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles. If using the mustard, spread a thin layer over top each piece of dough and then sprinkle with the parmasan cheese. Otherwise, sprinkle the cheese directly onto the dough.
3. Wrap one asparagus head and one middle piece with a slice of prosciutto.
4. Place the wrapped asparagus at the wide end of the dough and then roll up. Repeat for each crescent roll.
5. Place the roll ups onto a greased baking pan with the wide end face down, asparagus face up, and bake for 12-14 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the dough is golden brown. 

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart

A couple of months ago I went down to Seattle over Easter weekend to visit my former neighbors. The trip was great, filled with lots of fun and surprisingly little shopping. On Easter Sunday we were invited to have dinner at one of the other neighbors' house and that is where I stumbled upon this amazing tart. I asked her in great detail how she came up with the idea, and she admitted that she read it in a magazine. I spent the entire evening captivated by this simple, yet delicious, idea and vowed to make it upon my return home.

Fast forward two months and voila....my very own asparagus and goat cheese tart. I must admit that when I arrived home raving about this tart my mother was quite surprised, namely because I do not like cheese. I don't know why, but something about the flavor of most cheeses does not appeal to me. However she assures me that it's something I will grow into, and I guess I am doing so gradually. I was intrigued by the flavor of the goat cheese and how soft it was, something I noticed is true of most spreadable cheeses. I guess that's why I prefer soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert when it comes to cheese and crackers.

The actual tart was quite easy to make, despite a couple of setbacks I had. Firstly, when rolling out the dough I was afraid of rolling it out too thin and not being able to transfer it to the baking pan without ripping it. My fear was unfounded and made for two smaller tarts instead of one large one. Second, I forgot to prick the dough with holes before I put it in the oven. As you can imagine, the dough puffed up into a big pillow and I had to take it out halfway through to poke holes and deflate it. Lastly, I let my excitement over trying the tart get the best of me, and started cutting it as soon as I took it out of the oven. As a result it was extremely difficult to cut and the puff pastry on the borders kept breaking because I didn't allow it to cool. Eventually once we devoured the first tart, the second one had cooled and cutting it was much easier. Still, I don't regret eating it right away because it was so delicious!

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 10 oz. log goat cheese
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 a lemon, zested
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll out the puff pastry dough into a rectangle. Don't worry about how long it is, just making sure its wide enough so that you can lay out the asparagus length wise across.
2. Leaving a 1" border, prick the dough all over with a fork. (Don't forget this step like I did)
3. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown, and remove from the oven.
4. Spread the pastry with the cheese and then lay out the asparagus on top.
5. Brush lightly with olive oil and then sprinkle the lemon zest, salt, and pepper over top.
6. Return the pastry to the oven for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before slicing and serving.

Alternative: If you want to eat it the pastry while it's still hot but don't want the headache of cutting into it warm, divide the rolled out puff pastry into individual squares before baking them. Follow the rest of the directions, except cut the asparagus into thirds and divide evenly among the squares. Granted, it is more time consuming, but if you have the time I would highly suggest it as the tart tastes amazing when it is still hot from the oven.