Mascarpone, Ham, and Asparagus Tart

By mirelsonp

Recipe source: Bon Appetit - April 2006
IMPROV: Instead of tarragon, try dill; sub bacon for the ham.

Ingredients

• For tart filling mix in medium bowl:
• 1 12-inch purchased pie crust
• 1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 4 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
• Salt
• Pepper
• For topping:
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 5 cups arugula
• 8 ounces thinly sliced ham, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. For crust: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place crust in bottom and press all around sides of 10-inch tart pan with 1-inch high sides. Bake crust until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool.

2. Drop asparagus in large pan of salted boiling water. Cook 3 minutes; drain. Cool in bowl of ice water. Drain, then slice each spear into 4 or 5 pieces

3. Toss asparagus in medium bowl with arugula, lemon juice and zest.

4. To assemble tart, spread filling evenly into cooled crust. Top with asparagus-ham-arugula mixture and serve.