Asparagus Napoleons with Goat Cheese, Chives, Lemon Zest

By Noni

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed about 40 minutes at room
• temperature
• 1 egg, beaten with about 2 teaspoons water
• 24 asparagus spears, cut to a length of about 6 inches
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 8 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives plus 12 chive sprigs for
• garnish
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons honey
• large pinch of coarse salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the thawed puff pastry on a
lightly floured surface. When you unfold the puff pastry, the
sections between the fold lines should be about 3 inches wide each.
The measurement the other way should be about 10 inches - if it
isn't, you can take a rolling pin and lightly roll it out a little.
The whole sheet should be about 9x10 inches. Take a pizza cutter or
knife and cut right down the two fold lines and then once down the
entire length of the pastry sheet - you will have 6 rectangles of
about 3x5 inches each. Don't fret too much about the measurements -
they should just be uniform.

Place the rectangles of puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper
(or a Silpat) on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little of the
egg wash. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is nice and
golden. Place baked pastry rectangles on a cooling rack.

Roast Asparagus:

Remove the parchment paper or Silpat from baking sheet. Line with
foil. Place asparagus spears on sheet, drizzle with a little olive
oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees F for
about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Make Filling:

In a small bowl, mix soft goat cheese, chives, lemon zest, honey and
salt.

Assemble Napoleons:

Slice each puff pastry rectangle horizontally. Divide filling
between the six bottom sections. Place asparagus spears on top of
filling and place puff pastry tops on. Garnish with chive sprigs.