Gourmet Again......

Baked Asparagus
Kathleen Daelemans


2 bunches asparagus, washed
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse grained salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place asparagus in a large plastic bag. Drizzle half the olive oil over the asparagus, seal the bag and shake until asparagus is coated evenly with the olive oil. If necessary, add only enough of the remaining olive oil to coat the asparagus. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender or crunchy depending upon your preference, about 12 to 20 minutes.

Serves: 8

Isn't that a great recipe? Easy and delicious.

And now, the most important part of the dinner, the whole reason I am going to all of this trouble ;-)

The dessert:





Creme Brulee
Alton Brown


1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 C. vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 C. sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8 oz) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40-45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining ½ C. vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serves: 6

My friend, Elizabeth is so excited to be the one to bring/prepare this dessert. She is happy to be out shopping for ramekins and a torch!!


The Menu

Hot Jalapeno Crab Dip
Caesar Salad
Bourbon Beef Tenderloin
Wild Rice Casserole
Baked Asparagus
Creme Brulee

You should try it sometime. I've gone to the trouble to collect the recipes, now you do it for your family. Won't they be surprised and blessed.