Dairy Farmer's Tart

Fontina asparagus tart and my dairy farmer husband are both amazing. We invited friends to join us for Sunday lunch to celebrate the New Year. Ryan was frying turkey and making Dutch oven peach cobbler. My task was to get everything else ready. As I rushed from the kitchen to get ready for church, he asked me if I had ingredients to make this recipe he found in our newest Country magazine.The three main ingredients needed were fresh asparagus,frozen puff pastry and fontina cheese. I had none of them. As I left for church, he left for the grocery store. When I returned home, the Fontina Asparagus Tart was on the cabinet waiting to be baked. It was delicious! I later read that fontina cheese originated in Italy near the Swiss border in 1477. It is a semi-soft cheese made from cow's milk with a buttery,nutty taste and is used for table or cooking. When I asked him why he wanted to try a recipe with asparagus since I knew he would never have eaten plain asparagus, his answer was--"anything green is better covered with cheese". Amazing!!

Fontina Asparagus Tart

1 lb. fresh asparagus,trimmed

1 sheet frozen puff pastry,thawed

1/2 lb.fontina cheese,shredded,divided

2 Tbsp.lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a large skillet,bring 1 inch of water to a boil;add asparagus. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or just until crisp tender;drain.

On a lightly,floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Roll into a 16-in.x12 in. rectangle;transfer

to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups cheese over pastry. Arrange asparagus on top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Combine lemon juice,lemon peel,oil,salt and pepper; sprinkle over top. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted. Slice and serve warm.

Yield: 24 servings

*Recipe found in December/January2011 Country Magazine