Asparagus Prosciutto Tart

Hellllooooo Spring!  Thought you'd never show your face.  I was sick of the snow, the cold and "winter" food....  Hard to believe I could ever be sick of any food but I was craving lighter, fresher fare.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Longest.  Winter.  Ever.
One of my favorite parts of Spring is Asparagus.  I could eat it everyday, and admittedly, I do.  We eat it grilled, roasted, steamed, on pizza, in pasta, with eggs....you catch my drift.
This simple recipe is clean, fresh and light tasting.  It's got sweetness from the Asparagus, saltiness from the Prosciutto, tang from the mustard and creaminess from the cheese.  All good things.  Perfect as a lunch, light dinner with a salad or cut into "fingers" and served as an appetizer.  Happy Spring people.

Asparagus Prosciutto Tart

Serves 4 as a light main, or 10-12 as an appetizer

1 10x10 sheet of Puff Pastry
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup of Oka l'Artisan or Gruyere, shredded
16-18 Asparagus spears, ends trimmed
3 pieces of Prosciutto
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Fresh black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Roll out the pastry if it's not already done.  You can keep it in one sheet or cut it in half, as I did for the photo.  Score about 3/4 inch around the outer edge of the pastry with a knife, making sure not to cut though. With a fork, poke the inside of the pastry a few times.  Place on a baking sheet lined in parchment paper, brush the outer edges with the beaten egg and bake for about 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven, poke a few more holes in the middle if it's puffed up a bit and let cool for a few minutes.  Spread the Dijon over the inner area of the pastry, making sure it's even.  Top with the Oka or Gruyere, then the Asparagus.  Tear the Prosciutto over top and sprinkle over half of the Parmesan.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and a good grinding of fresh black pepper.