Thin tart with asparagus, broad beans and chervil

This tart always reminds me of the first spring markets, when the stalls are finally adorned with soft colors after the long winter months. I created this recipe one Sunday in April, with beautiful green asparagus and broad beans that I had shelled with my family – a little ritual I love to share with my children.

What I love about this tart is its rustic yet refined character. The homemade shortcrust pastry provides the perfect crispness, while the egg and cream mixture delicately binds all the vegetables together. Chervil, often overlooked, reveals its full subtlety here with its aniseed notes that harmonize perfectly with the asparagus.

You can easily adapt this recipe to your liking: replace the broad beans with peas if you prefer, or add some bacon for those with a bigger appetite. The important thing is to cook the asparagus thoroughly so that it retains its crispness and beautiful green color.

This tart can be enjoyed warm or cold, accompanied by a salad of mixed baby greens. It's perfect for lunch on the patio or a Sunday picnic.

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Thin tart with asparagus, broad beans and chervil

Recipe by Nathalie Laplace

5.0 based on 1 vote(s)

Type of dish: main courseKitchen: FrenchDifficulty: average

Portions

4

portions

Preparation time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A spring tart that combines the tenderness of green asparagus with the sweetness of fresh broad beans on a crisp shortcrust pastry base. Chervil adds that characteristic aniseed note of spring.

Cooking Mode

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Ingredients

• 1 Shortcrust pastry (250g flour, 125g butter, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons cold water, 1 pinch of salt)

• 400g of green asparagus

• 200g fresh (shelled) broad beans

• 3 eggs

• 20 cl of thick fresh cream

• 80g cheese of grated Gruyère

• 2 tablespoons of chopped chervil

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• Salt, freshly ground pepper

• 1 knob of butter

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Preparation steps

• Prepare the shortcrust pastry by mixing the flour and salt. Incorporate the cold butter, cut into cubes, and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and water, and form a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the dough and line a 26cm tart tin. Prick the base with a fork.
• Trim the tough ends of the asparagus and peel them gently. Blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water, then plunge them into ice water.
• Shell the beans and remove their thin skins to reveal their bright green color. Blanch them for 2 minutes, then drain.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs with the crème fraîche. Add the grated Gruyère cheese, chopped chervil, salt and pepper.
• Arrange the asparagus in a star pattern on the tart base, scatter the broad beans between them. Gently pour over the egg mixture.
• Bake for 35 minutes until the surface is golden brown and the filling is set.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding and serving.

📊 Nutritional Information

1 serving (approx. 280g)

📝 Notes

To save time, you can use ready-made shortcrust pastry. The broad beans can be replaced with fresh peas for a milder flavor.

💡 Chef's Tips

Choose firm asparagus with tightly closed tips. If you don't have fresh broad beans, you can use frozen ones, but reduce the blanching time. The tart can be prepared the day before and reheated in the oven for a few minutes.

🔄 Variations

• Bacon version: add 100g of bacon bits cooked with the vegetables
• Goat cheese version: replace the Gruyère with 100g of crumbled fresh goat cheese

Nathalie Laplace

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Food writer for the Simple & Bon website. Passionate about healthy cooking and especially salads, slow-cooked or oven-baked recipes.