Made these for dinner last night and thought I'd share.
Good for today's cool rainy weather in New England
Asparagus En Croute
12 slices of good-quality white sandwich bread
½ pound Jarlsberg or other Swiss-style cheese
½ cup Dijon mustard
12 asparagus spears, cooked till tender-crisp
4 tablespoons melted butter, approximately
Roll the bread as thin as possible with a rolling pin; trim crusts. You will have pieces of bread about 3-4 inches square.
Lay squares out on a work surface and cover them with a damp towel for 10 minutes. Cut the cheese into fingers approximately the size of the asparagus spears.
Spread each bread square with mustard. Lay an asparagus spear and a strip of cheese on each bread square and roll up. Place seam side down on a buttered baking sheet.
Brush rolls with melted butter. Bake in the upper third of a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.
12 rolls, 4-6 servings
(note - it only took 5 minutes to brown when I made these - so watch them carefully)
Cream of Asparagus Soup #2
This soup may be served hot or cold.
4 cups chopped yellow onions, about 4 large onions
8 tbs. sweet butter
2 quarts chicken broth
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
½ cup heavy cream or ½ cup buttermilk, for cold soup
Salt and black pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large pot and simmer the onions until very soft and golden, about 25 minutes, stirring often.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, trim the tips from the asparagus and reserve. Chop the remaining part of the spears into 1-inch pieces and drop into the boiling chicken broth, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until asparagus is very soft.
Puree the soup in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or in a blender, until smooth. Return the puree to the pot, add the reserved asparagus tips, and simmer until they are tender but still firm, 5-8 minutes. If serving the soup hot, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
If serving the soup cold, remove from heat, cool, stir in the cream or buttermilk, and refrigerate covered. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve very cold. 8 to 10 servings.
Here's the website for other asparagus recipes:
http://www.victoriaisland.net/recipes/
Good for today's cool rainy weather in New England
Asparagus En Croute
12 slices of good-quality white sandwich bread
½ pound Jarlsberg or other Swiss-style cheese
½ cup Dijon mustard
12 asparagus spears, cooked till tender-crisp
4 tablespoons melted butter, approximately
Roll the bread as thin as possible with a rolling pin; trim crusts. You will have pieces of bread about 3-4 inches square.
Lay squares out on a work surface and cover them with a damp towel for 10 minutes. Cut the cheese into fingers approximately the size of the asparagus spears.
Spread each bread square with mustard. Lay an asparagus spear and a strip of cheese on each bread square and roll up. Place seam side down on a buttered baking sheet.
Brush rolls with melted butter. Bake in the upper third of a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.
12 rolls, 4-6 servings
(note - it only took 5 minutes to brown when I made these - so watch them carefully)
Cream of Asparagus Soup #2
This soup may be served hot or cold.
4 cups chopped yellow onions, about 4 large onions
8 tbs. sweet butter
2 quarts chicken broth
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
½ cup heavy cream or ½ cup buttermilk, for cold soup
Salt and black pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large pot and simmer the onions until very soft and golden, about 25 minutes, stirring often.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, trim the tips from the asparagus and reserve. Chop the remaining part of the spears into 1-inch pieces and drop into the boiling chicken broth, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until asparagus is very soft.
Puree the soup in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or in a blender, until smooth. Return the puree to the pot, add the reserved asparagus tips, and simmer until they are tender but still firm, 5-8 minutes. If serving the soup hot, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
If serving the soup cold, remove from heat, cool, stir in the cream or buttermilk, and refrigerate covered. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve very cold. 8 to 10 servings.
Here's the website for other asparagus recipes:
http://www.victoriaisland.net/recipes/