In the previous episode, I was driving Cassie to some appointments around town. After the cherub's bassoon lesson, we went to a bassoon sectional near Hollymead Town Center. Since I didn't want to sit outside in the car and be mistaken for Cassie's grandmother again (no offense), I wandered around Target for an hour. I made my way over to the magazine stand where I saw the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which had an article (with lots of photos) about the 20th anniversary reunion of the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some of the cast members said they'd do another Buffy project in the future as long as Joss Whedon was involved. But Sarah Michelle Gellar said it was probably best just to leave things as they ended after Season 7, which I'm on board with given how bad the Buffy the Vampire Season 8 comic book series is.
And last week the Daily Progress picked up an Associated Press piece entitled "Sarah Michelle Gellar still has awesome skills with a skewer." It appears that SMG has written a cookbook, Stirring Up Fun with Food, the theme of which is how to present food in creative ways so that children will broaden their horizons: "Think of boring old meat loaf as a cute muffin." SMG developed these ideas with her two kids, including a four-year-old boy named Rocky, who, if he doesn't already, should be running around saying, "Yo, Adrian, it's me, Rocky." Buffy has turned into a domestic goddess!
But even though SMG does it, I'm not going to resort to tricks like baking "those weird asparagus ... in panko crumbs." Hopefully, just making asparagus in tasty ways is enough to get you all to eat it. Dylan is finally on board.
Adapted from The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet (1979) by Pierre Franey
The cooking times in the original recipe, which comes with the admonition to “take care not to overcook,” are much shorter—2 minutes, then 30 seconds, then 30 seconds. I used the times below for thin to medium-thick asparagus spears and they were still a little crunchy, rather than crisp-tender. Adjust the times based on how thick your asparagus is and how you like it cooked.
1½ pounds asparagus spears
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1. Trim or snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears. If the asparagus is thicker, like some of the ones in the picture above, scrape the bottom halves of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler. Slice the asparagus on the diagonal into 1½-inch pieces, leaving the crowns intact.
2. Heat the sesame seeds in a large nonskillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until the sesame seeds are golden brown. Watch carefully. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring or tossing occasionally, for 3–4 minutes, depending how thick your asparagus are (see note).
4. Stir in the sugar, and cook, stirring or tossing, for about a minute.
5. Stir in the soy sauce or tamari and cook, stirring or tossing, for about a minute. If the asparagus still aren't done, you can add a tablespoon of water to the pan and steam them a little bit.
6. When the asparagus are cooked to your liking, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve. Serves 4.
Adapted from the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook (2011)
If you have the cookbook, it has other vinaigrettes you can try, such as Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette and Bacon, Red Onion, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Vinaigrette
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated zest
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅓ cup (70 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Asparagus
2 pounds (2 bunches) asparagus spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1. For the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, lemon juice and zest, thyme, mustard, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. For the asparagus: Trim or snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears. If the asparagus is thicker, like some of the ones in the picture above, scrape the bottom halves of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler.
3. Place a rack in the highest position in the oven, and heat the broiler. Line a 13-by-18-inch baking sheet with foil.
4. Toss the asparagus with the oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lay the asparagus in a single layer in the baking sheet. Broil until the asparagus is crisp-tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
5. Cool the asparagus for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a serving dish. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the asparagus. Serves 6 to 8.
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