Cheese Custard with Asparagus and Tomato Vinaigrette

A tasty and versatile recipe for an appetizer, light lunch or as a side dish, but it takes a bit of time.

Yield: 4

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Savory Cheese Custard:

• 3/4 cup Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese, grated
• 4 Tbsp Parmesan grated
• 2 cups (459 ml) light cream
• 1 thyme spring
• 1 whole garlic clove, peeled (not chopped)
• 3 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of Cayenne pepper
• butter or margarine to butter the ramekins

Green Asparagus with Tomato Vinaigrette:

• 1 lb (450 g) green asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) white Balsamic vinegar or good quality red wine vinegar, low acidity
• 1 medium-sized tomato, seeded and finely diced
• 1 scallion stalk, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C

Savory Cheese Custard:

Warm light cream with the thyme and garlic clove in a saucepan just until it begins to bubble on the sides of the saucepan. Set aside and let thyme and garlic sip in the cream.

Put the whole eggs, the additional egg yolks in a bowl, whisk, add the grated cheese and taste for salt and pepper.

Remove thyme twig and garlic clove from the milk. Discard. Gradually add the cream to the cheese mixture stirring constantly. Pour cheese-cream mixture into buttered ramekins. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Take a deep baking pan and arrange the ramekins snuggly into the dish. Pour boiling water around the ramekins to about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm) of the top of the ramekins. Be careful not to spill water into them. Bake them for about 20 minutes at 300°F/150°C or until the custard starts to get golden brown. Set aside and let it cool off for about 5 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the edge of the ramekin. Give it a light shake to assure that the sides of the custard have loosened. Put a plate on top, turn it with the ramekin upside down. Remove ramekin and gently turn the custard, so that its golden brown top is visible. Serve at room temperature with asparagus and tomato vinaigrette.

Green Asparagus with Tomato Vinaigrette:

Bring lightly salted water to a boil and cook asparagus just until tender (it should be “al dente”) for about 5-7 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water to retain their green color. Lay them on kitchen towels to dry. Arrange them on a plate and refrigerate until cold or ready to use.

In the meantime whisk olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Add the tomato dices, scallion, salt, and pepper. When ready to serve, spoon some tomato vinaigrette over the asparagus and serve the remaining on the side.