Usually I let these float on by, stashing them in my “someday when the guys aren’t so persnickety” folder. But I actually had asparagus I needed to cook. I always have cheese, though not Gruyere. And I just happened to have puff pastry in the freezer from a Napoleon I never got around to making Dad before he left for training.

That’s it, guys. I’m hungry as hell and I’m not taking it anymore. We’re having grown-up food tonight.

At least, part of us did. Even its vague resemblance to pizza was not enough to convince Big Guy to try it. Boots dove in – I sometimes think he loves his “boodeful begeballs” only to win points over his brother.

Martha bills this as a main course, but I don’t think it would be substantial enough if Dad were around. I’d probably pair it with chicken. And I don’t think one would be enough if he were here, either. I ate half of it myself, resisting the urge to pull the puff-pastry box back out of the freezer to see what kind of caloric damage I’d done.

I tricked the recipe up a bit because, well, that’s what I do. I used a homemade garlic-free balsamic vinegar salad dressing instead of just olive oil. I think next time I’ll sprinkle the asparagus with onion powder, too.

Unlike way too many recipes that promise a quick dinner in no time, this one actually lived up to its billing. It takes about 45 minutes to prepare, and it’s an easy 45 minutes. Roll pastry, throw it in the oven, ignore it. Grate cheese, trim asparagus, add to shell, ignore it for another 20 minutes. It’s a snap.

Asparagus-cheese tart