Asparagus Alla Fontina Recipes

FONTINA ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; add asparagus. Cook, covered, until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and pat dry., On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry sheet into a 16x12-in. rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes., Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry to within 1/2-in. of edges. Place asparagus over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over top. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

ASPARAGUS-FONTINA-PROSCIUTTO WRAPS

Steps:

• Saute or grill the asparagus until slightly tender. Let cool. Wrap each stalk with a slice of fontina and the prosciutto. Serve with an Aioli dipping sauce.
• Place the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic, and salt into a food processor. Process until well blended. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until the mixture thickens. Scrape into a bowl and squeeze a few more drops of lemon juice over the top, stir and set aside.

ASPARAGUS AND FONTINA QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Using a vegetable peeler, slice the asparagus lengthwise into long, thin strips, starting just under the tip of each stalk. Leave the tips whole. (Alternatively, cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.)
• In a pot with a steamer insert or in a covered sauté pan fitted with an expandable steamer basket, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the steamer insert or basket, cover, and steam until tender, about 30 seconds for strips and about 3 minutes for pieces.
• Rinse the asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir in the Fontina, Gruyère, and reserved asparagus.
• Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
• Bake until lightly golden and set in the center when the pan is gently pushed, 40 to 45 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover it with foil to prevent it from burning.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 or 8 slices and serve warm or at room temperature.
• The quiche is best served the day it is made. Tightly wrap leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

FRIED FONTINA AND PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Set a large bowl of cold water by the sink. Bend each stalk of asparagus until it snaps and discard the tough ends. Remove the tough outer skin of the asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler. Slide the spears into the boiling water and cook until the asparagus is tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and plunge into the cold water. Let stand until cooled through. Drain thoroughly and pat the spears dry.
• On a clean and dry work surface, lay out a slice of Fontina cheese with one of the corners facing you. Lay an asparagus spear over the cheese so the corner of the cheese closest to you is about halfway down the stalk. Roll the cheese tightly around the asparagus, covering the entire stalk with Fontina. Lay out a slice of prosciutto as you did the Fontina. Place a sage leaf over one end of the prosciutto and roll the cheese-coated asparagus spears up to enclose them completely. Tuck any overhanging cheese and prosciutto underneath the asparagus to make a neat bundle. Repeat with the remaining asparagus.
• Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Spread the flour and bread crumbs in an even layer on two separate plates.
• Dredge the asparagus bundles in flour to coat all sides. Tap off excess flour. Roll the asparagus in the beaten egg to coat. Remove the asparagus, allowing any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the asparagus to the bread crumbs and roll, pressing lightly, to coat evenly with the crumbs. Remove to a clean baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining asparagus bundles.
• Heat the oven to 200° F or lowest setting. Line a baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels. Pour the vegetable oil and olive oil into a deep skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until the oil registers 350° F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you're frying without a thermometer, the oil is ready when one end of an asparagus bundle gives off a lively but steady sizzle when dipped in the oil.) Once the oil reaches the desired temperature, adjust the heat under the pot to maintain a steady temperature, and continue adjusting the heat as necessary during frying. Carefully slip as many asparagus spears into the oil as will fit without touching. Fry the asparagus, turning as necessary with tongs or a slotted spoon, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Keep them warm in the oven while frying remaining asparagus bundles. Serve hot.

ASPARAGUS WITH FONTINA AND CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Clean and snap ends off of asparagus, Cook asparagus.
• While asparagus is cooking, prepare the sauce.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat.
• Add the cream and fontina cheese.
• Cook, stirring until the cheese melts and the cream has thickened and reduced by half--1 to 2 minutes.
• Season slightly with salt.
• Drain the asparagus and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place asparagus on platter, spoon on cream sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve at once.

ASPARAGUS WITH FONTINA & CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp tender. Drain. Place the butter in a saucepan and add the heavy cream. Add the Fontina cheese and cook until melted and smooth,
• 2. Serve the asparagus with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the Parmigiano

ASPARAGUS, POACHED EGG, PROSCIUTTO AND FONTINA CHEESE

Steps:

• To roast the asparagus: Place the asparagus in a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil over it and sprinkle with the salt, tossing to coat.
• Scatter 16 of the thyme sprigs onto a baking sheet and lay the asparagus over them to cover.
• Roast in a preheated 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes, until tender to the touch but firm in the center.
• To grill the bread: Butter each side of each slice.
• In a pan over medium heat, lightly brown each side; remove to a plate and let cool just long enough to handle.
• Rub one side of each slice with the garlic clove, then place on a baking sheet, garlic side up.
• Arrange the asparagus evenly over the bread.
• To poach the eggs: Use Paula G's easy poaching method Recipe #118761, or in a medium saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to just below a simmer and add the vinegar and salt.
• Crack an egg into a small bowl to check that the yolk isn't broken.
• Slowly stir the water in one direction to create a whirlpool effect.
• Once the whirlpool has slowed a little, carefully slide the egg into the water against the side of the pan, following the current of the water as you pour, so the white envelops the yolk.
• Repeat the process with each egg, poaching them for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are runny.
• Carefully remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate; cup the eggs with your hand and tip the plate to drain off the water.
• To assemble: Center an egg on top of the asparagus on each toast; drape a slice of the cheese over each egg.
• Heat the sandwiches under the broiler just until the cheese melts.
• Remove the sandwiches from the oven, rumple a slice of prosciutto over each, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with fresh pepper.
• Garnish with the remaining thyme; serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS (OR BROCCOLI) AND FONTINA CHEESE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter & oil in heavy cooking pot, over med-high heat. Sauté onions and celery until tender (~4 min.). Add garlic and sauté ~30 seconds (don't scorch - gets bitter). Add flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute, to cook out raw flour taste. Add water, broth, and Knoor soup base (or substitute bouillon). Stir until smooth. Bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 2 minutes to set the thickening.
• Add diced potatoes, chopped asparagus (or broccoli), salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to med-LOW and simmer for ~25 minutes.
• Puree about ¾ of the soup in a blender in small batches. (Hot soup expands when blended, so fill blender only about 2/3 way full!). I place batches in an intermediary large Pyrex bowl to hold until returning to pot.
• Return blended soup to pot. Stir in half-and-half, soy, and cheeses. Simmer (do NOT BOIL) 5-10 more minutes - stirring often, then taste for seasonings (probably needs a bit more pepper, doubtful it needs more salt - cheese, soup base, and broth are already somewhat salted).

ASPARAGUS ALLA FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender. Drain and cut into 1-to-1½-inch lengths. Return the asparagus to the pot. Add the butter and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set over low heat and stir to melt the butter. Remove from the heat.
• Turn the asparagus and the melted butter into a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Arrange in an even layer. Sprinkle with the Gruyère, prosciutto and parsley. Pour the beaten eggs on top, gently shaking the pan to distribute.
• Top with the Parmesan and bake until the eggs are set into a custard and a golden-brown crust forms on top, about 35 minutes. Serve hot or warm.