We recently took a trip to the Champagne region of France. This is one of our favorite places to head when we want a quick getaway. Of course, there’s tons of great champagne in this area, but there is also a lot of great food.

One of the most famous foods from this region is Chaource cheese. The cheese has a thin, bloomy rind, and becomes softer as it comes to room temperature. We’re back home and we brought some of this cheese back with us, which we’ll use to make a Spring inspired Chaource and asparagus tart. Check out the video below or keep reading to learn more!

Chaource cheese is from the village of Chaource, in France’s champagne region. While it’s great on its own or with some bread, today we’re going to pair it with some fresh asparagus and make and Chaource and asparagus tart.

This recipe is quite simple. To make this you’ll need puff pastry dough, (remember to thaw it ahead of time), about 400g of Chaource cheese, some asparagus and a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.

Begin by rolling out your puff pastry on a baking sheet.

Combine the olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and then brush them onto the puff pastry.

Pour the rest of the olive oil mixture onto the asparagus and toss it to combine, this will prevent it from becoming too brown in the oven.

Next, lay your asparagus across the puff pastry. I like the rustic look that you get by placing them facing different directions.

Then, cut the cheese into bite sized pieces and arrange it on top of the pastry dough and asparagus.

Finally, sprinkle with some thyme and bake this in a preheated oven at 220 degrees celsius or 425 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, until the puff pastry has browned nicely.

Allow it to cool for a few minutes, and then cut into squares and serve.

This tart has a nice crunch from the puff pastry, a salty bite from the cheese yet some freshness from the asparagus. It makes for a great appetizer or midday snack.

Easy Chaource and Asparagus Tart Recipe

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry dough, remember to thaw it ahead of time
• 400g of Chaource cheese
• 1 bunch (about 500g) asparagus
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Method:

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius or 425 degrees fahrenheit
• Place the thawed puff pastry on a baking sheet
• Combine the olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl
• Brush the olive oil mixture over the puff pastry
• Toss the asparagus with the remaining olive oil mixture
• Place the asparagus on top of the puff pastry
• Cut the cheese into bite sized chunks and spread over the top of the puff pastry and asparagus
• Sprinkle the dried thyme on top
• Bake at 220 degrees celsius or 425 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown
• Remove from the oven and allow it to cool before cutting into square and serving, enjoy!