Summer is coming and there will be plenty of opportunity to treat our families and guests with a late-morning breakfast or delicious brunch.
With asparagus in season right now, I wanted to offer a couple of recipes for a special breakfast treat using asparagus.
Our first recipe is just that, both impressive and delicious for anyone to try. It’s eggs Benedict with poached eggs, asparagus, smoked salmon, and a buttery, lemony hollandaise sauce; amazing!
If you don’t care for smoked salmon, try the mushroom Benedict; toasted multi grain toast topped with juicy asparagus, poached eggs and a decadent creamy morel mushroom sauce; equally delicious.
The breakfast casserole is something that can be prepared a day ahead of time, which is most convenient with company, however, it can also be cooked when prepared.
If you’d like to try a frittata, check the easy recipe below. Enjoy your feed of asparagus while it’s still here.
Smoked Salmon Asparagus Eggs Benedict
1/2 cups butter, melted and hot
2 tablespoons lemon juice, hot
4 tablespoons water, hot
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dill, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
12 spears asparagus, blanched
4 ounces smoked salmon
English muffin or toasted multi-grain bread
Place a large pot of water on one burner over medium heat for the poached eggs. On a separate burner, bring some water in a double boiler to a boil, reduce the heat and let water stop boiling. Place the egg yolks in the top of the double boiler and whisk until they begin to thicken. Add 1 tablespoon of the hot water, whisk until the sauce begins to thicken again. Repeat 3 more times. Whisk in the lemon juice. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter. Season with the dill, salt and pepper and set aside. Crack an egg into a bowl, swirl the water in the first pot and pour the egg from the bowl into the water and repeat for another egg. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes and fish them out. Repeat for the remaining 2 eggs. Place the English muffin or toast on a plate, top with asparagus, smoked salmon, poached egg, hollandaise and garnish with dill. Enjoy!
Morel Mushroom and Asparagus Eggs Benedict
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces morel mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
1/4 cup white wine, or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices multi grain bread, lightly toasted
12 spears asparagus, blanched
4 poached eggs
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture, about 3-5 minutes. Add the wine or broth, deglaze the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes and reduce the meat to minimum.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Swirl the water in the pot. Crack an egg into a bowl and pour the egg from the bowl into the water. Repeat with another egg. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes and fish them out. Repeat with remaining two eggs. Place the toast on plates, top with the asparagus, poached eggs and creamy mushroom sauce. Note: Although it is morel season, you can substitute other mushrooms if you wish.
Asparagus Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (20 ounce) packages Simply Potatoes brand shredded hash browns
2 cups shredded swiss cheese (or a mix of your favourite)
10 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 lbs. asparagus, washed, cut and blanched slightly
1 -2 small Roma tomatoes, cleaned, seeds removed, diced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 dash nutmeg
8 -12 drops hot pepper sauce
Add canola oil to bottom of skillet; heat to medium-high; add hash browns, onion and garlic. Spread them out and fry without disturbing for about 5 minutes, then turn them and fry for another 5 minutes until brown. In a lightly sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish, spread hash browns on the bottom. Then spread the mushrooms, asparagus, Roma tomatoes and 3/4 of the swiss cheese over the hash browns. Beat eggs, milk, pepper, nutmeg and hot pepper sauce together and pour over everything. Press evenly down with edge of spoon or clean fingertips making sure all is coated. Top with remaining cheese. At this point cover with foil and refrigerate till morning if making the day before. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for an additional 12 – 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.
Asparagus Frittata
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
Heat olive oil into a 10-inch oven-proof frying pan over medium high heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes. While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler. Sprinkle cheese over eggs and put in oven to broil until cheese is melted and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.
Yield: Serves 4.
