Dinner Party Worthy Fresh Asparagus
Description: There's nothing better than fresh asparagus & this is a very tasty way to serve it & impress for a company meal w/a chicken breast & green salad. Sadly fresh asparagus is rarely available here in Iceland & very expensive when I find it, so I don't fix this often like I did in the US. It can be prepared ahead, but don't refrigerate (read note below).
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs fresh asparagus
- 6 hard-boiled eggs (sliced)
- 6 slices bacon (sliced crosswise & crisped)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon mccormick lemon-pepper seasoning
- 6 tablespoons crushed croutons (cheese flavored)
- chopped fresh chives (to garnish, or parsley)
Steps:
- Wash asparagus well & trim stem-ends so spears are 8" long. Parboil spears till just barely fork-tender, but still fairly crisp. Quickly drain & cover w/cold water to stop cooking process. Drain again when cool & set aside.
- Cut bacon slices crosswise, fry till crisp & drain well on paper towel.
- Slice ea egg crosswise into 6 slices.
- To assemble, pat asparagus spears dry w/paper towel & place equally in 6 groups in a 9"x13" baking dish. Top ea group w/1 sliced egg + equal amts of the crisped bacon pieces along their length & set aside.
- Microwave cream cheese in sml dish to soften & warm slightly. Set aside.
- Combine butter & flour over med-low heat to make a roux & gradually add milk. Use the flat a spatula to eliminate any lumps as you go.
- Do not overcook sauce. When milk has been added & the sauce is smooth & thickening, remove from heat & incorporate the softened cream cheese & lemon pepper seasoning salt.
- Spoon cream sauce over ea asparagus group, "dust" w/1 tbsp crushed croutons + sprinkle w/fresh chives or parsley.
- Bake in hot oven (400F) just till bubbling & serve immediately. (Can also microwave till heated through, but do not refrigerate as this will lengthen the cooking time & potentially cause the sauce to separate).
- NOTES: Sliced fresh mushrooms also work well as an addition -- For a 1-dish meal w/only a salad on the side, use this combo to stuff a well-pounded chicken breast & add mushrooms on top as a finishing touch.
