Asparagus a la Carpaccio

I enjoyed dinner last week at the restaurant, Carpaccio which is located in Menlo Park, CA celebrating grandson Philip's confirmation. Whatever you order from this upscale restaurant you are assured it will be absolutely the tastiest you have ever been served. Asparagus is a very fragile vegetable. When overcooked, asparagus takes on a very unappealing taste. This dish was absolutely nothing short of wonderful. So much so, I came home and tried to duplicate this dish. My recipe may not be exact but it is close and close enough that it also had an excellent flavor. I used a thin layer of crumbled Boursin cheese. The dish I was served had a thin layer of Camembert or Brie cheese.

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Asparagus a la Carpaccio

Ingredients:

Asparagus

Shallots, diced small

olive oil

salt and Pepper

pinch of sugar

Brie, Camembert, or Brie cheese

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I also warm the baking dish at this time.

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Saute finely diced shallots about three minutes in olive oil. Add enough vinegar just to cut the olive oil and add a pinch of sugar. Add salt and pepper.

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Blanche the asparagus for three minutes in boiling water which has had salt added. Immerse in ice water for two minutes. Remove from ice water and drain, then pat dry with paper towels. Place in warmed oven dish. Place a thin layer of cheese atop asparagus and evenly spread the shallot mixture over the cheese.

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Place in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. You will never eat asparagus prepared any other way.