Goat Cheese Asparagus Tart with Prosciutto (Gluten Free)

Asparagus season is still upon us (at least the supermarkets say so!), and I have decided to make a delicious little thing: an asparagus tart. I am a goat cheese/milk/yogurt lover, so I decided to pair these two delicious things. Then, to give my (and your) taste buds a real party, I added two more yummy ingredients: prosciutto and garlic.

For the dough I used a store bought gluten free flour mix, and added additional rice flour and some buckwheat flour. Also, a little not-so-secret ingredient I used is garlic powder, which, when combined with the nuttiness and bitterness of the buckwheat flour, adds such an inviting aroma to the dough and pairs wonderfully with 'all the goat'. I also added an egg, to help the crust hold its shape better. If you find that you are having some trouble getting the dough to form a uniform ball, feel free to add a couple of tablespoons of cold water - this helped me to get from a divided doughy mess to a united front ready to become a delicious crust.

In the filling, I mostly used cottage cheese, only because this was what I had at hand. I added all of the soft goat cheese I had left (since the previous days I ate it religiously by drizzling it with sage honey - so good - try it!), and some goat yogurt. If you want a stronger goat-y aroma, feel free to adjust the cheese ratios and use more of your favorite goat cheese in place of the cottage cheese.

For the toppings, I cut up asparagus stalks into smaller pieces, and wrapped each piece in some prosciutto. This may make the dish look somewhat fancier, but it's such an easy and quick step to do, and the added flavor of the baked prosciutto is so worth it. Of course, if you are vegetarian, skip the prosciutto and let the asparagus be the star of this dish.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

130 gr cold butter

195 gr gluten free flour mix

50 gr buckwheat flour

50 gr rice flour

5 gr baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

(a couple of teaspoons of cold water, if needed)

For the filling:

60 gr goat cheese

390 gr cottage cheese

100 mL goat yogurt

1 egg

180 gr asparagus

25 gr garlic

50 gr prosciutto

Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Method :

1. Cube the chilled butter, and add the flours, salt, and powdered garlic. Also add one egg, and use your hands to mix everything together until a dough forms. If you are having trouble forming a dough, you can add a few teaspoons of cold water. Wrap the dough in plastic foul, and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.

2. In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a larger bowl, mix the cottage cheese, goat cheese, goat yogurt and an egg. Also add the seasonings: salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

3. Wash the asparagus stalks, and cut them into smaller pieces. Wrap a thin slice of prosciutto around each asparagus stalk. Peel the garlic.

4. Once the dough has chilled, roll it on a dusted surface, and transfer to a greased tart pan. Put it in the oven for five minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

5. Take the dough out of the oven, and add the cheese mixture. Top with prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and garlic, and put it back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. This dish can be served both warm and cold.