By Week 519. Year 10. Tommy is 43. A quiet spring week. Work, school, dinner. The ordinary machinery of a family that has been running for 10 years of documented life and longer before that. The food was simple — crawfish étouffée — and the simple was enough and the enough was everything.
Made crawfish étouffée this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The bayou runs on.
The étouchée carried the week, but spring wanted something on the side — something that said the season had truly arrived. Asparagus in puff pastry is the kind of dish that earns its place on a Tuesday: simple enough to not make a fuss, beautiful enough to feel intentional, ready by the time whoever walks through the door has taken their shoes off. Year 10 deserves a little gold on the plate.
Asparagus in Puff Pastry
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 24 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the pastry. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet. Roll it gently into a 10×12-inch rectangle, then cut lengthwise into 8 equal strips.
- Mix the filling. In a small bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and black pepper until smooth.
- Spread and wrap. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture down each pastry strip. Place 3 asparagus spears at one end of a strip and roll the pastry around them in a spiral, overlapping slightly as you go. Press the end gently to seal. Repeat with remaining strips and asparagus.
- Egg wash and season. Whisk the egg and water together. Brush each bundle with the egg wash, then sprinkle with Parmesan and flaky sea salt.
- Bake. Arrange bundles on the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down. Bake for 18–22 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and puffed and the asparagus tips are just tender.
- Rest and serve. Let cool on the pan for 3–5 minutes before serving. Best eaten warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 280mg