Spring means the arrival of some of our favorite vegetables, including ramps, peas, asparagus, rhubarb, and delicate, nutty fiddle head fern shoots. They can be simply sauteed with butter and served with as squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts or can adorn this elegant but incredibly simple tart as a side dish for roast chicken or pork. Watch how it's made on Instagram.
Fiddlehead Fern and Asparagus Tart
Don’t forget to boil fiddleheads for at least 8 to 10 minutes before cooking or using. They can contain natural toxins that can cause illness. Once boiled, they are perfectly safe to eat.
Start to Finish: 40 minutes plus cooling time
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
For the tart:
- 6 ounces fresh fiddlehead fern leaves, rinsed and trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 ounces (about 6 medium spears) asparagus, trimmed and sliced ¼-inch thick on a diagonal
- ½ cup (about 1 ounce) finely shredded Gruyere or Fontina cheese
- 1 pre-made refrigerated pie crust or homemade pie dough for a single crust
For the sauce (optional):
- 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Kosher salt
Directions
To make the tart, heat the oven to 425ºF with a rack in the middle position. Mist a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the fiddleheads and cook for 8 minutes; drain well. Put the butter into a medium bowl and add the hot fiddleheads to the bowl. Add the asparagus, ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, and toss until the butter is melted.
Meanwhile, unroll the refrigerator pie crust or lightly flour a work surface, and using a rolling pin, roll the homemade dough into a 12-inch round. Invert a 9-inch pie plate onto the dough and with a paring knife, trace the outer edge to cut a circle of dough. Remove the plate and reserve the dough trimmings for another use.
Evenly scatter the pine nuts in the bottom of the pie plate. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fiddlehead mixture to the pie plate, leaving any excess liquid behind in the bowl. Place the dough disc over the vegetables, and using your fingers, tuck the outer edges of the dough down into the sides of the dish, enclosing the filling. Using a flat hand, gently press on the dough all over to compact the filling; using a fork, prick the surface of the dough.
Bake the tart until the dough is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the tart to a rack and cool for 10 minutes; invert it onto a serving plate and cool completely before serving.
To make the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt until combined.
Serve the tart with a pool of the sauce on each serving plate under each slice or drizzle it lightly over the top.
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