Spring is finally here, which means fresh veggies are on the menu! Make this bright, colorful tart for brunch, breakfast, an afternoon snack, or paired with a green salad for lunch. It’s full of antioxidants and vitamins but ALSO very pretty! 

The flavor is unexpected but delicious: creamy goat cheese, sweet beets, snappy asparagus, and a bright orange vinaigrette. It tastes great warm or at room temperature, and the leftovers (if there are any) are even delicious cold.

You will need:

½ package puff pastry dough (one piece)
3 small beets (I like to use a couple different colors)
1 bunch thin asparagus
4 oz goat cheese
2 eggs
¼ C plain Greek Yogurt
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 T olive oil
1/2 t dijon mustard
2 T white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1 orange (or 2 clementines)
½ C mint
salt

Turn your oven on to 400F and set out your puff pastry to thaw.

Scrub your beets and cut off the root and greens (save the greens to toss in your morning smoothie!). Prick them a couple of times with a fork and put them in a microwave-safe bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap (poke a couple holes in this, too) or a wet paper towel. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, then test with a fork: they should be soft enough for the fork to slide in. If they’re not, add another 5 minutes. Mine were done at the first 5-minute mark, but if yours are bigger you may need more time.

While the beets are cooking, rinse the asparagus in cold water, then trim the woody bottoms (1-2 inches). I chose to leave my asparagus whole, but you can also cut them into bite-sized pieces to make it easier to eat with a fork. Set aside.

Zest the orange, then squeeze the juice into a small container or bowl. To the juice add the olive oil, dijon, vinegar, ½ the zest, and ½ tsp salt. Whisk or shake to combine.

Add goat cheese, one egg, yogurt, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp nutmeg to a small bowl and mix with a fork to combine. 

When the beets are done, carefully rub the skin off with a paper towel (they will be hot!). 

Slice into very thin (⅛” inch) slices. Toss the hot beet slices with half of the orange vinaigrette.

Toss the asparagus with the other half of the vinaigrette. Set aside.

Cover the bottom of a sheet pan with parchment. Dust a rolling surface and roll your pastry out to a rectangle about 16”x10”. Transfer the pastry to the parchment-lined sheet. Make a slash in the pastry 1” in from the border all the way around the rectangle to make your crust, then prick the middle all over with a fork (doing this will help to make the border puff up while the center magically stays put). Brush the outside edge with egg wash (the other egg whisked with a little bit of water). 

Spread the yogurt mixture on the inside of the puff pastry rectangle. 

Arrange the beets and asparagus on top– you can toss them on, but taking an extra couple minutes to make it look pretty really ups the wow factor. Sprinkle the top with salt.

Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the asparagus is lightly browned.  

Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature, garnished with mint leaves. I served it with a rosé (Moillard Les Violettes Côtes du Rhône) and I highly recommend that pairing!

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