When it comes to asparagus (fresh and in season, at least) I am a purist. Toss'em with olive oil, salt, and pepper, throw them on the grill and call it delicious. However, I have two problems with this way of preparing asparagus. One, I don't know how to use our new grill. I'm sure it's simple but if I learn then I will have to use it and my husband will stop and we don't want that, now do we? As much as I enjoy it, it's nice to have a break from cooking! The second problem is the children. Only one of them will dare try grilled asparagus and even then, there's a 50/50 chance of her actually eating it. So, I needed another, indoor, kid-friendly recipe for my asparagus.
It didn't take me long to find this quiche recipe and declare it a winner. Since we are also doing an egg CSA this season, this would kill two birds with one stone. Enter some local cheese (calls for Swiss but I often use cheddar in my quiches), cherry tomatoes and bacon from the farmer's market, and High Lawn Farm cream easily found at Whole Foods, and this recipe is a perfect locavore meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (10 inch) unbaked pastry shell
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups light cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
- Cut eight asparagus spears 4-in. long for garnish. Cut remaining asparagus into 1/2-in. pieces, using only tender parts of stalks. Steam asparagus until tender but firm.
- Brush bottom of pastry shell with egg white, In a bowl combine asparagus, Swiss cheese and bacon; mix gently. Place in bottom of pastry shell. In another bowl, beat eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour into shell. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Arrange the asparagus spears, spoke fashion, on top of quiche; place cherry tomato halves between spokes.
That sounds awesome! And I love High Lawn Farm milk--I can't believe it tastes different than "normal" milk. Even organic. But oddly, one of my kids hates it. I can't argue with him...he always says his milk tastes yucky when I get it, even though he doesn't know it's any different than normal. So I just get it for me now :)
ReplyDeleteOur kids love asparagus sauteed in olive oil and tossed with Parmesan. They won't eat grilled asparagus or grilled anything for that matter unless we cut off all the black parts and that's so not worth it for asparagus.
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