Asparagus Crostini Recipes

Steps:

• Toss 1/2 pound asparagus (trimmed and thinly sliced) with 2 tablespoons each lemon juice and chopped basil, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and a pinch each of salt and red pepper flakes. Rub toasted baguette slices with a halved garlic clove. Top with ricotta, the asparagus and chopped chives.

Steps:

• For an easy party snack, spread fresh ricotta on toasted baguette slices, then top with thinly sliced asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil or truffle oil.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the slices of baguette with olive oil. Place pieces on pan, season with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for about 5-7 minutes until golden.
• Blanch trimmed asparagus in rapidly boiling salted water for about 3 minutes. Transfer immediately to an ice bath. Remove once cooled to dry, then cut into 1-inch pieces.
• To assemble: Place a small piece of salmon on top of the crostini, then two pieces of asparagus, and top with one small slice of brie. Garnish with freshly cracked pepper.

Steps:

• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high.
• Whisk the green peppercorns into the vinaigrette. Set aside.
• Brush the asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on all sides and crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes total. Remove from the grill, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces, and toss with some of the vinaigrette.
• Brush the bread on one side with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, oiled-side down, until light golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Flip, and grill a few seconds more, just enough to warm¿the bread should still be tender when pressed.
• Top the toasted bread with some asparagus. Scatter the goat cheese, if using, on top and serve immediately.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, mustard, tarragon, honey, and a little salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and preheat the broiler.
• Drizzle the asparagus with some of the olive oil. Toss to coat and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill pan and cook until tender and grill marks form, 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Remove, let cool slightly and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces, about the size of the bread.
• Brush the bread on both sides generously with oil and place on a baking sheet. Rub the garlic all over one side of each slice. Broil until golden and crispy, 2 minutes per side. Remove and let cool slightly.
• Slather some of the goat cheese on the garlicky side of each piece of bread, then top each with 2 to 3 pieces of the grilled asparagus and a few of the cherry tomatoes. Return to the oven just until the cheese is melted and warmed, about 2 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat grill or broiler oven. Snap off woody ends of each asparagus stalk and place asparagus into a large ziptop bag. Add in oil, vinegar and some salt and pepper. Seal bag and shake contents to coat asparagus well. Slice camembert and top bread slices with it.
• Place asparagus and cheese bread onto the grill. Grill asparagus about 4 minutes per side and toast bread until crisp and cheese has melted. Transfer bread onto a cutting board and top with five or six asparagus spears. With a large knife, cut bread into three or four smaller pieces and transfer to a serving platter.
• Drizzle bread with more balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cut asparagus stalks into thirds, separating tips, middles and ends. In a medium pot, bring 2 cups salted water to a boil. Add tips and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and reserve for garnish.
• Separate dark green leek tops from bottoms. Thinly slice the white leek bottoms and set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine leek tops, stock, asparagus bottoms and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes; strain, discarding the solids and saving the stock.
• Return empty pot to medium-low heat. Add oil, white leek slices and rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are golden, about 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of the stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining stock and asparagus middles. Simmer, covered, over low heat, until asparagus is completely tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Press soup through a food mill (or purée in a blender, then strain through a coarse mesh sieve; nothing too fine, you want a little texture here). Return soup to pot. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Cover to keep warm.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and toast, turning halfway through, until bread is golden and dry to the touch, about 10 minutes.
• While bread toasts, season ricotta with tarragon, salt and pepper. Rub hot crostini with the cut side of the halved garlic cloves and slather with ricotta. Ladle soup into warm bowls and garnish with the asparagus tips. Serve with crostini.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the broad beans for 5-6 mins until tender. Immediately plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water. Squeeze the broad beans from their pods and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the olive oil, feta, honey, lemon juice and dill fronds. Season with black pepper and blitz to a smooth purée.
• Meanwhile, brush the baguette slices with some olive oil and toast or griddle until golden. Rub with the cut side of a halved garlic clove. Finely chop the blanched asparagus spears and toss in a little olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice. Spread the purée over the crostini and top with the sliced asparagus and some extra dill. Leftover purée will keep in the fridge for up to two days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut 1/2-inch off top of garlic head and put head on sheet of foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over garlic and wrap tightly in foil. Roast garlic in middle of oven until very soft, 40 to 50 minutes, and cool.
• While garlic is cooling, arrange baguette slices in one layer on a large baking sheet and brush lightly on each side with additional oil. Bake slices in middle of oven until crisp and pale golden, 5 to 10 minutes, and transfer to rack.
• Squeeze roasted garlic from head into a food processor and add peas and salt and pepper to taste. Blend pea mixture until coarsely puréed. On baking sheet toss asparagus pieces with remaining tablespoon oil and sesame seeds and arrange in one layer. Roast asparagus in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Spread toasts with pea purée and divide asparagus among them.

Steps:

• Set the oven to broil at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, butter and garlic. Set over medium heat, and cook until butter has melted and the mixture starts to bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Dip each slice of bread into the garlic mixture, turning to coat each side. Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Press one side of each piece of bread into the cheese, and place cheese side up on a baking sheet.
• Broil on the middle rack of the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved.
• Add asparagus; saute for 2 minutes.
• Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.
• Remove asparagus to a serving dish and keep warm.
• Cook sauce, uncovered, until reduced by half.
• Pour sauce over warmed asparagus and serve immediately.

Steps:

• To make Dipping Sauce: Mix well the sour cream, mayo, onion, lemon juice, capers, tarragon, onion powder, sugar and pepper together using a whisk.
• Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
• Steam asparagus until fork tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Mix Ice Bath together in large bowl. Plunge asparagus into ice water and let sit until cold.
• (I personally skipped the water bath and just let steamed asparagus drain in colander until cooled.) Transfer to paper towel to drain.
• Refrigerate.
• Serve chilled asparagus with dipping sauce.
• Note Do Ahead tips: The dipping sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and regrigerated. The asparagus can be prepared 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crostini: Brush baguette slices on both sides with a total of 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and bake, turning over once, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool.
• Meanwhile, make topping: Finely chop artichokes, and combine in a bowl with Parmesan, parsley, and remaining tablespoon oil.
• Dividing evenly, spoon topping onto crostini, and garnish with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Steps:

• Make fonduta:
• In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water melt butter. Add Fontina and milk and heat, stirring with a whisk, until cheese begins to melt. Whisk in yolks and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until smooth and thickened slightly, about 7 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and remove bowl from pan. Stir sauce 1 minute while water in pan cools slightly. Return bowl to pan and keep sauce warm over hot water (off heat), whisking occasionally to eliminate skin that forms on surface.
• Preheat broiler.
• On a baking sheet toast bread about 3 inches from heat, turning, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Rub tops of crostini with cut side of garlic and brush with oil. Season crostini lightly with salt. Divide crostini among 4 plates and top with prosciutto.
• In a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet bring 1 1/4 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a colander and drain. Divide asparagus among crostini. Pour fonduta over them.