Filo Asparagus Tart

Hello everyone!  Sorry for being so remiss in my blogging of late.  It has been a combination of my new job, passover, and the fact that it has taken me over a month to read a 250 page book that has kept me from bookcooker for so long! I finally finished that book (Open City by Teju Cole) yesterday and will be posting about it this weekend.  But in the interim I will share with you this pretty asparagus tart.  As the seasons change, I am always looking for that ultimate recipe for certain produce that only really shines once a year.  Spring in particular is great for these things - asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, spinach - and at this time I year I feel like I am constantly eating asparagus.  In a few weeks we will all be sick of it though, so hopefully this post catches you when you are still enamored of it.  It is a rich tart that really lets the asparagus shine.  It has a dramatic look to it that would look even cooler with a square or rectangle tart pan, but you can also make do with a round pan, as I did above.  I thought the filo dough would mean making this tart is more weeknight friendly, but to be honest I found the filo just as fussy, if not more, as tart dough.  But it adds a real lightness to the tart.  This was an ambitious but doable weeknight meal for me but it also really screams brunch as it is basically a quiche.  The recipe after the jump.

Asparagus Filo Tart, adapted from David Leite
This tart is a little tough to serve neatly, the filo really flakes a lot. Next time I will add some more butter and be sure to soak the edges a bit more to make it a little neater to slice.  This is a the perfect vehicle for fresh asparagus and fresh spinach - not the stuff in the bag but real bunched spinach.

Ingredients
12-20 spears of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
1 bunch fresh spinach
4 tablespoons of melted butter (or more)
1 lb filo dough, defrosted according to package instructions
1 and 1/2 cup grated gruyere or other sharp tasting cheese (sharp cheddar, goat cheese would be great)
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil.  Boil the spinach and the asparagus for about a minute each and immediately remove, preferably to an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Drain thoroughly and pat dry.
3. Brush a tart pan (either 9 inch square, rectangle or circle) with melted butter.  Line it with one sheet of filo and press it gently into the edges.  Let the excess fold over the edge of the pan.  Brush with butter again and layer another sheet of filo, gently pressing it into the edges.  You will get some breakage, life will go on.  Continue this process of layering filo with brushing butter after each layer until you use all of the filo.
4. Take a very sharp knife trim the excess filo so that it is flush (more or less) with the tart pan.
5. Take some more melted butter and brush the edges of the tart so they are moist.
6. Beat the eggs and heavy cream together, add the nutmeg.  Add salt and pepper.
7. To assemble the tart, place half of the spinach directly on the filo tart shell.   Top with half the cheese.  Add another layer of spinach, top with the rest of the cheese.
8. Pour the egg mixture over the spinach.  Lay the asparagus on top in whatever pretty arrangement strikes your fancy.
9. Cut a piece of parchment paper that is the a little smaller than your tart pan.
10. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.  Place the parchment on top of the asparagus/middle of the tart and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes.
11. Serve warm.