Herbed asparagus frittata recipe

This is a delightful dish with fresh asparagus and roasted garlic and herbed cheese. We usually serve this with crisp bacon, but it is equally complemented by ham or salmon.

Set out herb cheese to warm. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray twelve 4-ounce custard cups or ramekins with non-stick spray; set aside. Bring butter and olive oil to moderate heat and saute shallots until translucent; set aside.

Clean asparagus and snap off bases. Peel asparagus stalks from base towards flower, then drop in boiling water for 3 minutes. While asparagus cooks, fill a bowl with ice water, and at the end of the cooking time plunge the asparagus into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Chop cold asparagus onto pieces 1 to 1-1/2 inches in length. (Reserve 12 to 24 flower ends — 1 to 2 inches long — for garnish.) Divide chopped asparagus among the custard cups. Divide sauteed shallots among the custard cups (on top of asparagus).

Break eggs into large mixer bowl. Add cheese and heavy cream. Grind pepper corns and add to mixing bowl. With electric mixer on low speed, break up cheese and integrate cheese and pepper into eggs. Spoon egg mixture into cups to equally divide the egg mixture among the custard cups. Stir the mixture often, as the herbs and pepper tend to settle out.

Reduce oven thermostat to 300 degrees and bake on cookie sheet until set, about 25 to 30 minutes. After removing frittatas from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes. (Note: these beautifully puffed cups tend to fall during the cooling process). Remove from cups and place right side up on plates. Spoon Hollandaise Sauceover each frittata and garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Serve with meat and sliced tomatoes.

Variations: Sometimes we will add diced ham or flaked salmon directly to the Hollandaise sauce. We also will bake the whole concoction in one 1- or 1.5-quart casserole for about 40 minutes — the sides rise way up, so remove the top rack.