Goat Cheese Asparagus Tart with Chebe

Don't get angry.  Get even.

I have been turning to Pinterest for recipe ideas, especially for foods on my limited low-fructose veggie list.  The tall stalks of asparagus was calling my name at the grocery store, but no recipe came to mind.  I bought them anyways and upon arriving home, turned to the Pinterest.  Every other picture was of an asparagus and cheese tart (such as the one found here).  I hate to admit, but I was really angry that I could not eat it.

 

I was starting to try to "get over it" like a mature adult, when I spied a box of Chebe Focaccia Mix.  At the Gluten Free Expo, Chebe was kind enough to give me some boxes of their dry mixes to review.  Their products are naturally gluten free and are tapioca flour based.  And actually the dry mixes are free of pretty much all the common allergen culprits.  We have a winner!  Time to get even!

I followed the recipe on the box of the Chebe Gluten Free Focaccia Mix (also available online here), ignoring the optional cheeses at the start.  Once my dough was spread out in my 9" pie dish, I added about 5 ounces of cheese goat cheese and carefully layered a few broken stalks of asparagus.  I drizzled olive oil on everything and then topped it with some sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  After 35 minutes in a 375 degree oven, my asparagus tart looked and smelled delicious.

How was my gluten and cow's milk free version of the previously taunting tart?  Wonderful!  The dough, by its nature, isn't very puff pasty like, but it was strong enough to hold the weight of the cheese and asparagus without any issue. It was slightly chewy, but still an excellent taste (the rosemary and basil in the mix really amps up the taste, too!)  This was an excellent way to make bread, plus I was able to easily add some calcium and veggies into my diet.  Unlike other gluten free dough, Chebe's dough is very easy to work with.  I mixed it for about a minute in my Kitchen Aid and then kneaded for about two or three minutes by hand before placing in the pie dish.  Another great part?  This version was done MUCH faster than the gluten-filled puff pastry original would have taken!

Thanks, Chebe, for helping solve my Pinterest-recipe-envy!

NOTE: not everyone on a dairy or lactose free diet can tolerate goat cheese.  I am fortunate goat and sheep cheeses agree with my stomach , even though I cannot tolerate even a teaspoon of (cow's milk) butter on vegetables.

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