Asparagus Fontina Squares 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 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.

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.

GRILLED-ASPARAGUS, TOMATO, AND FONTINA PIZZETTE

Steps:

• Preheat grill for direct- and indirect-heat cooking to 500 degrees (if grill does not have a temperature gauge, set an oven thermometer on upper rack). If distance between grill grates is 1 inch or greater, preheat a metal cooling rack directly on grill to prevent dough from sinking through.
• Toss asparagus and scallions with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning a few times, until charred in places but still firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool slightly; when cool enough to handle, cut scallions into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Turn dough out onto a pizza peel or thin wooden cutting board dusted with semolina (do not punch down). Divide into thirds. Starting in center of each and using both hands, press down and outward with your fingertips while allowing dough to slowly turn. Gradually work toward edges, leaving a 1-inch border of undisturbed dough, until each is stretched to an approximately 7-inch round.
• Lightly drizzle each round with oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to grill over direct heat and cook just until set and lightly charred on bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill.
• Divide half of cheese evenly among crusts, then top with asparagus, scallions, tomatoes, and thyme. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese. Return pizzette to grill over indirect heat. Cover and cook until crusts are golden brown in places, asparagus is crisp-tender, and cheese is bubbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS SNACK SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Cut asparagus into 1-in. pieces; set the tips aside. Add remaining asparagus to skillet; saute until crisp-tender. Add asparagus tips and pepper; saute 1-2 minutes longer or until asparagus is tender. , Press dough into an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; seal seams and perforations. Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. , Top with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 6-8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares.

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-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 (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).

BRUSCHETTA WITH FONTINA AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat grill or broiler. Grill bread slices until golden on both sides. Rub one side with garlic; brush lightly with oil.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat; add salt generously. Add asparagus, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain asparagus, and set aside.
• Place toasted bread on a baking sheet, and sprinkle fontina evenly over slices. Arrange about 3 to 4 asparagus spears on top of each. Sprinkle Parmesan over asparagus, dividing evenly.
• Bake until cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle with truffle oil, if using.