Spring in Pie Form: Asparagus, Ramp, & Goat Cheese Pie

I’m lucky enough to have a friend with a secret stash of wild ramps that he visits every spring--and sometimes he takes me along. We went out to the woods this past Saturday morning, and I came home with a bag of ramps. Which I then had to figure out what to do with. The answer: Asparagus, Ramp, & Goat Cheese Pie.

Ramps are sometimes called wild leeks, which tells you much of what you need to know about them. They’re members of the same family as onions, garlic, scallions, etc.--except that while these familiar essentials are cultivated, ramps are not. Any ramps you might see at the farmer’s market or the grocery store were foraged, which explains the high price tag (I’ve seen them recently at two places, for $15/pound at one and $32/pound at another!). They only grow for a short season in early spring, so ramping season is also the time when I get crazy happy that spring has truly sprung.

To be perfectly honest, ramps aren’t all that amazing. I mean, they’re wild leeks. Would you pay $32/pound for leeks? Me neither. Nor would I pay it for ramps. They have a flavor that’s sort of like a garlicky scallion; the leaves are tender and the bulbs have a texture a lot like, well, scallion bulbs, but with that garlicky edge, and a little woodsiness thrown in. Good, but not amazing. The fun of them, for me, is in the foraging, and then in figuring out what to do with the haul I inevitably bring home in a burst of foraging exuberance.  

I’m still not sure what we’ll do with the rest of this enormous bowl of ramps. But I’m extremely pleased with the Asparagus, Ramp, & Goat Cheese Pie that I made out of the first handful. It owes a lot to this recipe for a Savory Spring Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart, from Bon Appetit. But while that calls for spring onions or scallions (and I’m sure it would be delicious with them), I saw an opportunity for using ramps--as well as asparagus, that other classic spring veg--and fresh herbs and goat cheese. Basically, I looked at that recipe, and I saw spring in pie form.

I don’t know why I refused to make a tart and insisted on pie. I just did. One effect of this is that the recipe made waaaaayyyy too much filling. I baked it up in a separate pan, and was still delicious, even without buttery crust. I’ve adjusted the quantities below to make filling for a 9-inch pie, because ultimately I liked having the thicker wedge of filling.

The original recipe also calls for a store-bought pie crust, but you know I don’t do that. In fact, I took the opportunity to make extra dough and freeze it for future pies or tarts, so I can now whip up a pie or two at a moment’s notice. This knowledge gives me a warm feeling of security and pleasure. The next time you make pie crust dough, I highly recommend this; the dough freezes for months.

This is not, admittedly, the quickest meal to fix, but I enjoyed every step, from foraging the ramps to blind baking the crust and assembling the three-part filling. It felt like an honorable return to cooking as well as an exuberant welcome to spring, after a winter of Not Cooking.

Asparagus, Ramp, & Goat Cheese Pie

(adapted from Bon Appetit)

Makes 1 nine-inch pie.

for pie crust:

1 ¼ c flour

½ t salt

½ T sugar

8 T cold butter, cut into ~¼ inch slices

1 T cold vodka

1-3 T ice water

for filling:

1 bunch of asparagus

20 ramps (or spring onions or scallions; adjust quantities accordingly)

2 T olive oil, divided

salt and pepper

½ T butter

1 egg

4 oz fresh goat cheese

¼ c creme fraiche (you can make your own!) or Greek yogurt

1 t flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 t fresh chives, chopped

1 t fresh tarragon, chopped

1. Make pie crust. Process flour, salt, and sugar in food processor briefly, until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse sand (about 10 one-second pulses).
2. Add vodka and 1 T water and process until dough comes together into a ball. If dough is too dry (not fully coming together), add remaining water, 1 T at a time. 
3. Scrape dough out of processor onto lightly floured surface. Form into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and put in refrigerator for at least half an hour. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. To store longer, wrap in a second layer of plastic and freeze, then thaw in the refrigerator for a day before using). Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. At the end of a half hour, lightly flour a clean counter. Roll out dough into a 12 inch circle. Careful fold into loose quarters, and transfer to pie plate. Gently press into plate,  Unfold, and crimp edges in your favorite style. 
5. Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5-10 more minutes until the crust is golden brown and crisp. 
6. Let crust cool for at least 15 minutes before adding filling; room temperature is best. 
7. While dough chills and bakes, make filling. Line a baking sheet with foil (very important for easy cleanup!). Cut off the top 1-2 inches of the asparagus tips and set aside. Slice stalks into ¼ inch rounds and set aside. Cut ramps into bulbs (white and purple part) and greens (green part). Cut white part of ramp bulbs into ¼ inch rounds, purple part into ½ inch sections, and add to asparagus tips. Cut ramp greens into 1 inch pieces and add to asparagus stalks. 
8. Heap asparagus tips and ramp bulbs on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with 1 T oil plus salt and pepper. Toss to coat all pieces with oil and seasonings, then spread out in an even layer on the pan. Roast, turning once, until the ramp bulbs begin to brown and the asparagus is bright green and tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove, and (assuming the pie crust is also out of the oven) reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Yes, the timing on this is a little awkward. Best not to be in a rush.
9. Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil and butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add sliced asparagus stalks and ramp greens; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and asparagus is bright green and tender, 6-8 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, then spread in cooled pie crust. 
10. Beat egg in medium bowl, then add cheese, creme fraiche, and herbs, plus salt and pepper, and whisk. Pour over vegetables in pie crust. Scatter roasted asparagus tips and ramp bulbs decoratively over the top. So pretty! 
11. Bake until the filling is set, 30-35 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a simple green salad and a glass of white wine.