Asparagus Tart from LandScape magazine

One of my favorite foods to enjoy at teatime is a tart, whether savory or sweet, and I tried a new one over the weekend. It's this Asparagus and Chorizo Tart, found amongst the lovely pages of a charming new British magazine called LandScape.

I'd been looking among the gardening magazines when I spotted a new title, and when it said "Launch Issue" on the cover I decided to take it home with me.

Inside I found features on rosemary, and ...

...to my surprise, a feature on scones!

The recipes include Classic Scones, Sage and Apple Scones, Cherry Scones, Cheese and Herb Scones, and Ginger Scones. The writing, photography and design throughout the entire magazine are simply wonderful—and you don't even have to be a gardener to love it!

But the Asparagus and Chorizo Tart is what I most wanted to try. First I had to learn to pronounce chorizo, a type of sausage (it's "ch" as in "church," cho'-ree-zo), and then I had to find a grocery store that had it. (The nice ladies in the Kroger deli had never heard of it, but I was calling it "kuh-ree-zo," so that may have been part of the problem. A helpful gentleman in the Publix meat department walked me to the three different varieties the store carries. I got the Spanish variety with paprika, since I'd read the paprika is an important ingredient in chorizo.) The chorizo itself was an interesting sausage, and a very spicy one. I might try using it again in another dish, but I'd probably "tone down" the sausage and use a milder one if I make this tart for teatime, since everyone might not appreciate the strong flavor. (But I did!)

Click here to see the recipe as printed in the May/June 2012 issue of LandScape. Following is the version I made, which has been adjusted since I had a 9-inch tart pan, not an 8-inch. I also converted the ingredients to American measurements. Enjoyed with a glass of iced Earl Grey tea, this made a tasty lunchtime meal!

Asparagus and Chorizo Tart (as I made it)

1 cup plain flour
1 stick (4 ounces) cold butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
5 large eggs
Pinch of salt
4 ounces chorizo, chopped into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces of fresh asparagus
6 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon paprika
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using an electric mixer, blend the flour, butter, half the cheese, 1 egg and the pinch of salt until it begins to form large, walnut-size chunks. Knead mixture and flatten into a round of dough. Prepare a 9-inch tart tin with a removable bottom with cooking spray and dust with flour. Add the dough and pat it down and up the sides of the tart pan. (The magazine recommends rolling it out, but I found lining it up directly in the pan was easier.) Prick with a fork and let stand 30 minutes. Fry the chorizo in the olive oil for 4 minutes. Remove woody ends of asparagus, blanche it in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then remove and add cold water to halt the cooking. Bake the pastry on the bottom shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Combine cream and remaining 4 eggs. Add remaining cheese. Add paprika and leaves stripped from five sprigs of thyme. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel, chop into 2-3 inch pieces and pour them on top of the baked pastry. Add the chorizo, and then pour in the cream mixture. Bake on bottom shelf of oven for 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes before garnishing with remaining thyme. Yields 8 servings.