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asparagus

Eggs Benedict Crostini with Roasted Asparagus, Bacon, and Easy Hollandaise

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Happy almost weekend, y’all!  It’s early for these winter weather shenanigans in the Carolinas, but believe it or not, it snowed!  Again!  I know!  I know!  My northern friends are laughing at me right now because we get a few flurries and a little dusting and we call it snow.  I’m serious as a train wreck when I tell you that when we get exactly 2.5487 flurries of snow in Charlotte everyone loses their mind and forgets how to drive.  A similar situation happens when it rains.

 

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Now, I have no idea what in tarnation makes people freak out and decide they need to clear the Harris Teeter and Publix shelves of all things bread and milk.  That makes zero sense to me.  Who need bread and milk when there is one half of a flake of snow left floating in the air.  And I gotta be honest, when we are expecting serious weather, you know, the kind that brings 2.4783 inches of snow that lands on 54 degree ground and lasts for exactly 4.286 hours before melting?  I don’t know about you, but man, I stock up on beer and wine.  Who needs bread and milk?

 

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Oh!  And vodka.  And Bloody Mary mix.  These are essentials for a snow day.  Or a Sunday.  Or a Saturday.  Don’t judge me.  I’m just keeping things real around here.

 

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Regardless of whether you have your Bloody Mary on a snow day, Sunday, or Sunday.  Or jeeze!  If it blows your dress up, have it on Monday.  There are no judgments here.  This is a safe zone.  My point is that if you are having a Bloody Mary, (at least at my house) you might be having breakfast or if you’re more civilized it would probably be brunch.  Either way, you should totally try these Eggs Benedict Crostini with Asparagus, Bacon, and Easy Hollandaise.  They’re the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch.

 

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I sincerely hope you (and I) get a snow day, but you don’t have to wait for one to try some delicious breakfast crostini.  If you do, don’t forget to pick up the vodka.facebookadAnd don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

 

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Eggs Benedict Crostini with Roasted Asparagus, Bacon, and Easy Hollandaise

Ingredients

  • 12 -16 asparagus spears tough ends discarded
  • splash of olive oil
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • 6 pieces of cooked and crispy bacon
  • 6 slices of baguette about 1/2 inch thick
  • 6 eggs
  • chopped parsley for garnish optional

For the Hollandaise Sauce

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 8 tablespoons 1 stick/1/2 cup butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. In a bowl, toss together asparagus, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and roast for 5-7 minutes (depending on size - mine were skinny), set aside
  3. Change oven setting to broil
  4. Arrange baguette slices on another parchment lined baking sheet and broil 5 minutes, or until toasted
  5. In a blender,combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and sage then blend a couple of seconds to combine
  6. Melt butter in microwave or on the stove in a pan
  7. With the blender running, slowly stream butter into the egg yolks and blend until combined and kind of fluffy
  8. Bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer
  9. Crack an egg into a small container
  10. Slowly dip the container with the egg into the water and let the water go into the container with the egg for a couple of seconds then slowly let the egg slide out into the water
  11. Let the egg cook about 2 minutes in the simmering water
  12. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and drain with the egg still in the spoon onto a paper towel lined plate
  13. Repeat with remaining eggs
  14. To assemble, start with the toast, add one slice of bacon, 2-3 asparagus pieces, carefully top with poached egg, spoon a generous amount of hollandaise sauce over the whole thing, garnish with parsley, if using
  15. Serve immediately

Hollandaise Sauce adapted slightly from Giada De Laurentiis

Note:  I didn’t add salt to the hollandaise sauce because there is bacon and I accidentally bought salted butter (which I NEVER do) so if you’re using unsalted butter you may want to adjust the seasonings.

 

 

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Ham, Gruyere, and Asparagus Tartine

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Yes.  I’ve basically made you a ham sandwich.  But it’s a fancy French one!

 

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I actually made this some time ago and held onto it because I thought it might be stupid to post a ham sandwich – even if it is a fancy French one.  But variety is good, right?  And sometimes it’s refreshing to get back to basics or class up and modernize an old favorite.

 

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This was inspired  by a place in Charlotte called Amelie’s French Bakery.  I think they are actually a chain with some other locations.  They have several types of tartines on the menu and the ham and gruyere is by far my favorite.

 

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I totally had an insane craving for a tartine and wanted to go to Amelie’s.  What a bummer that we were snowed in and working from home.  By Charlotte standards that means 2 snowflakes. Fortunately,  like everyone else around here we stocked up at the grocery in anticipation of another snowpocalypse, so I was able to improvise and throw together a copycat.  I added roasted asparagus and topped it with arugula for a little sumpin’ sumpin’ extra.

 

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If you happen to live near Amelie’s French Bakery, I recommend you rush over there and try a tartine.  If not, just whip one up at home and enjoy the spring weather with no more snow!

Inspired by Amelie’s French Bakery

Note: Measurements are not exact because the intent is to be free-handed to make the tartines according to personal preference.  Adapt to what makes you happy.

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Ham, Gruyere, and Asparagus Tartine

Ingredients

  • 15 - 18 asparagus spears
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 loaf of french bread
  • 1/2 pound deli ham shaved
  • 1.5 cups gruyere shredded
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 2-4 tablespoons Dijon amount depends on preference
  • 2-4 tablespoons mayonaise amount depends on preference

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Toss asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste on a baking sheet
  3. Roast asparagus 5-6 minutes, depending on size (you don't want it completely soft because it will be broiled in the tartine), set aside
  4. Mix equal amounts of mayo and Dijon together
  5. Cut bread into thirds and slice pieces in half lengthwise
  6. Increase oven to broil, place bread pieces on baking sheet and broil 2 minutes
  7. Spread mayo/Dijon mixture on bread
  8. Put 2-3 asparagus spears on each piece of bread, top with a few pieces of ham and a bit of shredded cheese
  9. Broil tartines 8-10 minutes
  10. Toss some arugula on top of each

 

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

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I know I posted an asparagus recipe a couple of weeks ago, but we had these this weekend and they are just to good not to share.

 

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And asparagus is good for you, right?  This is super easy and is a huge hit with my friends and family.  You can serve it as an appetizer, side, or a snack.  They are also best at room temperature, so it’s perfect to make them before your guests arrive — assuming you are going to share.

 

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I like to have garlic flavor with just about any roasted vegetable and here I used garlic paste mixed with a little olive oil and lemon juice.  I’ve heard that raw garlic can burn at high temperatures, but I wouldn’t know anything about that.

 

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I’m just sayin…..

 

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This time I used smoked prosciutto.  I really liked the flavor, but it was kind of stiff and more difficult to work with than regular prosciutto.  I sprayed a little water on it and it softened up enough for me to be able to wrap it around the asparagus without breaking.  As you can see, some of them I didn’t spray quite as much and the little buggers came undone — but they were still delicious!

 

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Whether you use regular or smoked prosciutto, share with your friends, or hoard them all for yourself, go roast you some asparagus and wrap them in prosciutto.  Trust me, you will love it!

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

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Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients

  • 12 asparagus stalks rinsed and tough ends trimmed
  • 1 Tbs garlic paste
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
  • a couple of dashes of salt
  • 6 slices smoked or regular prosciutto, halved lengthwise

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450
  2. Mix together garlic paste, lemon juice, olive oil and salt
  3. Place asparagus evenly in a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet, add olive oil mixture, and toss to coat
  4. Roast asparagus for 10-15 minutes, depending on size
  5. Remove asparagus from oven and let cool completely
  6. Wrap each piece of asparagus with one half of the prosciutto
  7. Serve at room temperature

Note: You can make as much or as little of these as you like, you just need half the amount of prosciutto as you have of the asparagus

Note: I did not add pepper because the smoked prosciutto had quite a bit already on it, so if you use regular prosciutto, you may want to add a little pepper to the olive oil too.