sprinklefingers

Oh, Easter.

Mine flew by in a frenzy of seersucker pants and chocolate eggs. Add in brunch for eight prepared by moi (my French classes are really paying off), some sunshine and a few glasses of bubbly and you’ve got a pretty perfect day…if I do say so myself.

Brunch was delightful: We feasted on pain perdue (there’s that French again), bacon, a yogurt bar (complete with granola, fresh fruit, saucy figs and honey-preserved hazelnuts) and the most delicious asparagus you can imagine.

Here’s the recipe:

Roasted Asparagus with Meyer Lemon + Duck Eggs
serves 4-6
inspired by Sophie Dahl

you need:

• 6 duck eggs*, hard boiled (perfect instructions here)
• 20-24 stalks asparagus (about 2 bundles), washed with tough ends trimmed
• 1 large or 2 small meyer lemons, zested & juiced
• 4 T best quality olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano
• truffle oil for finishing

make it:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange the asparagus on a sheet tray in a single layer. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
3. Roast the asparagus for 15 or so minutes or until blistery and browned in spots - take care to not overcook.
4. While the asparagus is roasting, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Finely chop the eggs. A serrated knife will come in handy here.
6. Once the asparagus is roasted, the lemon/oil has been whisked together and the eggs have been chopped, plate your dish:
   Arrange the asparagus on your plate or platter then top with the parm. Next, drizzle the lemon/oil over top. Then scatter the chopped eggs all over and dot a precious few drops of truffle oil around the plate.
   If you’d rather plate individually, follow the same instructions only do it smaller and repeat it several times.

I ate so much asparagus yesterday. I literally could not stop eating this. The duck eggs were so perfect when eaten with the bright meyer lemon - then add in the saltiness of the parm…and the earthy flavor of the truffle oil. OH MY GOD, so SO good.

Add in some crusty baguette for soaking up the lemony goodness, and you’ve got one delicious dish on your hands.

With all the spring asparagus around, you really have no excuse but to make this!

*Yes, you could make this with chicken eggs, but the duck eggs really make this heavenly. You can procure duck eggs from your local farmer’s market or well stocked fancy foods shop.

i’m not going to complain about how busy i am. i’m not. i’m just not. but i will tell you this: i miss my kid. i’m eating too much. i haven’t worked out in for-ev-ah. the laundry is piling up. i keep crying for no reason. i feel totally scattered. and (did i mention this yet?) i miss my kid.

our new bakery opens in less than two weeks and busy doesn’t really begin to describe my life right now.

still, i can’t complain because i have help. a lot of it. most of our employees are amazing and are working just as hard as i am to get the new store open. this is a huge change for me -  when we opened our first bakery we did it with three people: i baked everything and my husband and best friend handled the cash register. crazy days indeed. thank goodness for great employees!

here’s a delicious meal, perfect for busy people like you. and me. the whole thing comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta. and, it’s delicious. did i mention that already?

bacon & asparagus pasta
serves 2 with leftovers for one

you need:

• 1/2 lb bacon, preferably smoked and hopefully nueske’s or beeler’s, chopped into 1/2” pieces
• 1 bundle asparagus, washed with ends trimmed then cut into 1” pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed then diced super fine
• a few pinches of dried herbs (i use an italian mix)
• a few dashes of freshly grated nutmeg
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt
• pepper

• half & half
• freshly grated parmesan cheese

• 10 oz pasta - some kind of noodle that holds sauce well - penne or farfalle

make the pasta:

1. set a large pot of water to boil.
2. while the water is coming up to a boil, cook the bacon over medium heat until starting to turn golden. add the asparagus and let cook for a few minutes.
3. check your pasta water. boiling? good. add the noodles with a pinch or two of salt.
4. back to the bacon/asparagus: by now your asparagus is bright green and the bacon is cooking along. if your bacon is golden and looking good, go ahead and add the garlic, herbs, nutmeg, red pepper flakes and the tiniest bit of salt and a good grind of pepper. stir very well until fragrant and then add a small (small!) ladle-full of pasta water. the water will allow you to scrape the browned bits up off the bottom of the pan - which you should do.
5. once you’ve scraped up the browned bits, add about 3/4 cup of half & half to the pan along with a good, big handful of the grated cheese. stir until the cheese melts then reduce the heat to low and let the ‘sauce’ cook until it thickens a bit.
6. TASTE IT. if it needs more seasoning, add it. but before you add salt, make sure you have a bite with a piece of bacon in it - the last thing you want to do is over-salt your dish. or something like that.
7. the noodles are cooked! drain them, then add them to the pot with the sauce and give everything a big stir to coat the noodles and distribute the asparagus and bacon.
8. portion and top each dish with some additional cheese.
9. dinner!

notes:

this dish would be equally as delicious with the following substitutes for the asparagus:

• zucchini (or another summer squash,) cut into half moons
• 1 bundle of kale, stems removed and cut into manageable pieces

• it would also be a very delicious idea to add 3-4 green onions to the dish: wash the onions then cut the white parts and an inch or so of the green parts into 1/4” pieces - add them after the bacon begins to render its fat - before you add the asparagus (or zucchini or kale.)

• and, if you wanted to get really crazy and raise the deliciousness level of this dish even more, add a fried egg with a runny yolk to the top! but don’t eat the egg on its own. serve the individuals dishes of pasta with a fried egg on top of each, then mix the egg into the pasta - the runny yolk will add to the sauce and the white will taste delicious with the bacon.

did you see mark bittman’s asparagus column? i love the green spears just as much as the next green-spear-loving-lady, but the photos and the infographics in that piece kinda blew my mind and somehow made me want to eat asparagus for every meal.

around here we love roasted asparagus with a fried or poached egg on top. add in some cheesy grits and it’s a meal fit for a king. on days when i haven’t made it into the gym and feel a bit guilty about eating cheesy grits, i still roast the asparagus and then simply cut it into manageable pieces and add it to a salad.

but bittman has some great ideas for the spears, too. get out and get some asparagus while it still snaps rather than bends!