Asparagus

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is a rich yet exquisitely simple dish that can be at its best only if every ingredient is of top quality. The asparagus must be fresh and in season, brightly colored, and crisp, with almost a glow in the center of the stalk. If you can buy butter from Normandy, use it; for Parmesan, use only Parmigiano-Reggiano, with its full, ripe flavor. The asparagus is not actually rôtie, or roasted, but rather sautéed in butter until it has a gilded, roasted appearance. The sprinkling of chopped raw asparagus at the end adds crunch and a slightly nutty taste to a dish of silken textures and flavors.

The asparagus and orange segments are arranged in a sunburst pattern on a large platter, with baby greens and sliced red onion in the center.

Here's a simple, colorful side dish.

Sformato D'Asparagi con Fonduta This savory flan has an intense asparagus flavor. Its texture is unusually tender for a flan, without a trace of egginess.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Crusty French bread and baked potatoes with butter are terrific alongside the eggs and asparagus. Add a fresh fruit tart from the bakery, and you'll know that this is definitely not breakfast.

It’s unclear just who the Louis of Crab Louis salad fame was; perhaps he was affiliated with the Olympic Club in Seattle, where opera star Enrico Caruso, who visited there in 1904, is said to have fallen in love with the crab salad. San Francisco also claims the dish, which reached its zenith there in the teens, as a specialty at Solari’s restaurant and at the St. Francis Hotel.

Asparagus Soup with Saffron