Girl Meets Grill

Yes, this is me trying to be like Bobby Flay. Ha! But I can grill up some asparagus. This is an extremely versatile little dish that can be served chopped up as a salad, on little toast rounds, or just left to sit and look pretty. It's one of Daddy's own.

You can just use a fruit peeler to shave the parmesan over the asparagus and it takes but a moment. As an appetizer, you can put some olive oil on toast rounds and serve it up like a bruschetta; or you can leave the asparagus whole and just put the cheese on top. Lastly, you can chop it up and toss it like a salad.

Balsamic Asparagus
Serves 4-6
1 bunch of asparagus
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon basalmic vinegar
Parmesan shavings, to taste

Break off the ends of the asparagus and shave the stocks if desired.

Toss the asparagus in a platter with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a hot grill and cook until crispy and grill marks appear.

Remove asparagus from grill and, using the same platter with oil in it, toss in balsamic vinegar until well coated. Shave parmesan cheese on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bread Basket

Here's a little twist on the traditional bread basket item (i.e. a loaf of bread): parmesan popovers! These little treats don't need any butter, they have cheese and herbs mixed right in. Not only that, but they don't take but a minute to whip up. They're a nice, unique addition to a special occassion or cocktail party. The cheese really makes these (obviously) so you shouldn't cheap on that. Get some real reggiano and grate it fresh. None of this pre-grated business. Bah. Another plus? They're good fresh out of the oven or at room temperature.

3 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a blender, combine eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, milk, and cheese. Blend on medium speed.
Spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove popovers from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. Save in a storage container to take to the picnic.