ASPARAGUS TART
Prep: 40 min Bake: 45 min Cost per Serving: 61 cents
Planning Tip: This can be made 2 days ahead and reheated.
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
 3/4 teaspoon salt
 6 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, cut small 
 1 egg beaten with 1/2 cup milk
 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends snapped off (see Cooking 
Lesson, below), cut bite-size 
 4 large eggs
 2 cups milk
 1 teaspoon salt 
 1/2 teaspoon pepper
 1 1/2 cups shredded 
 Gruyere or Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces)
 1/2 cup diced seeded tomato
1. Have ready two 9-inch tart pans with removable bottoms 
and 2 jelly-roll pans or
cookie sheets. 
2. To make crust in a food processor: Process flour, 
cornmeal, salt and butter on/off until
coarse crumbs form. With motor running, add milk and 
egg. Process just until dough
leaves sides of bowl. By hand: In a medium-size bowl, 
mix flour, cornmeal and salt until
blended. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or work 
it in with fingertips until mixture
resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg mixture with a 
fork until a dough forms. Press
dough into a ball. Divide in half and pat each half 
into a 1-inch-thick disk.
3. Put a disk in each tart pan and press dough over 
bottom and up sides until even with
rim. Freeze about 10 minutes.
4. Adjust racks to divide oven in thirds. Heat oven 
to 425 F.
5. Press a square of foil directly on dough over bottom 
and up sides of each pan. Bake on
lower oven rack 12 to 15 minutes until edges of crust 
are very lightly browned and crust
is just set. Remove foil.
6. While crusts bake, cook asparagus uncovered in a 
large, deep skillet of boiling water 3
to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain in a colander 
and chill under running cold water.
Drain well. Reserve 1 cup asparagus tips for top of 
tarts.
7. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper until 
blended. For each tart, scatter 1 cup
asparagus pieces then 3/4 cup cheese in crust; pour 
on 1 1/2 cups egg mixture. Scatter 1/2
cup reserved asparagus tips and 1/4 cup chopped tomato 
over top.
8. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Place each tart 
on a jelly-roll pan. Put 1 pan on
each oven rack. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, switching position 
of pans on racks halfway
through baking, until tops of tarts are light golden 
and a pick inserted in centers comes
out clean.
9. Remove pan sides (see second Cooking Lesson, below). 
Serve tarts hot or warm, or
leave in pans, cool, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. 
Before serving, reheat in a 350 F
oven 20 to 25 minutes, then remove pan sides. 
* Serves 8. Per serving: 402 cal, 18 g pro, 34 g car, 
22 g fat, 190 mg chol, 720 mg sod.
Exchanges: 2 starch/bread, 1/2 vegetable, 1 1/2 medium-fat 
meat, 2 3/4 fat
COOKING LESSON: Snap Asparagus
Snapping asparagus at the point where it breaks naturally 
removes the tough woody
bottom. To do this, hold asparagus lengthwise in both 
hands, closest to bottom end.
Snap asparagus to remove the thick end and discard.
COOKING LESSON: Remove a Tart
A tart pan with fluted rim and removable bottom not 
only gives you a
professional-looking tart, but a firm metal base on 
which to serve it.
1. If any of the filling overflows, the crust is likely 
to stick to the sides. Carefully loosen
any stubborn parts of the crust with the tip of a paring 
knife.
2. Place the tart pan on a small, sturdy bowl turned 
upside down. Let pan sides fall to
counter, then slide tart (still on the metal base) onto 
the serving plate.