Ok, enough lobster talk. Who says decadent has to be hard work and fancy ingredients? I wouldn’t say I need to toil and experiment with the fancier ingredients, but I do enjoy trying something different. But then there are days when I’m tired of searching for the hard to find stuff, when I just want the simple ingredients ton stand on their own, when you want give the most basic of items their due as something whole and delicious unto themselves. You want to give them their 15 seconds of fame if you will.

With a vegetable like asparagus I want her to sing. There’s so many things you can do with this little ingredient, but I like them most when they’re natural sweetness, firm texture and moist bite is the centerpiece of the place, maybe just touched with a few extra ingredients to add different textures and flavors. So a little brie and a few fried breadcrumbs it is. Honestly, this dish wins. She’s like the sexy, unassuming woman that just radiates grace and elegance without having to prove anything to anyone. I love this dish. It deserves more than 15 seconds, take a look. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

10-12 thin asparagus spears (ends snapped off)
brie cheese (or good melting, soft cheese) – enough to drap over the spears
1/2 shallot minced
1 piece toasted white bread
cayenne pepper
olive oil
Pot of salted boiling water

Kitchen Soundtrack: Creedance Clearwater – Suzie Q live on repeat.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Toss your spears into salted boiling water just to blanch them. Remove after about a minute after they start to become a bright green. Set in bowl of cold water or put under cold running water to stop cooking.

Place on roasting tray and slice cheese in thin strips to mostly cover the ‘gus. Set aside and set up your bread crumbs.

Oil in medium hot pan, chop up your bread to smallish pieces. Add minced shallots and cook for about 30 seconds, then add your bread crumbs. Pinch of salt/pepper/cayenne pepper at this point.

Toast/fry in oil until crispy, remove to paper towel to dry.

Back to the asparagus and cheese: Into the oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Plate your cheesy asparagus, sprinkle with bread crumbs. Sexy as hell.