This beautiful tart takes just minutes to assemble and makes for an impressive brunch dish, appetizer or even a simple light lunch or dinner.

We experimented with several crusts, trying a pie shell, a tart shell and par-baked puff pastry. The buttery, flaky puff pastry was absolutely irresistible, and so easy to prep.

For a fresh, light filling, we simply scattered the asparagus and other toppings over the pastry base. Cutting the asparagus spears into thin, 1-inch pieces made the tart easier to eat and ensured that the asparagus didn’t need precooking.

We tossed the pieces with olive oil, plus garlic, lemon zest, scallions and olives. For a creamy base to anchor the toppings, tangy, soft goat cheese nicely complemented the bright, grassy asparagus. Blending in a bit of olive oil made it easier to spread.

We dolloped more cheese on top of the asparagus and baked the tart to golden perfection.

To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit either in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Look for asparagus spears no thicker than 1/2 inch.

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