Grilled and Chilled White Asparagus

To hopefully usher in better weather and thoughts of Spring we are offering a light appetizer that is perfect for this time of year.  While supplies last we will now have grilled and chilled white asparagus and fresh fiddleheads.  It is then topped with a housemade meyer lemon and garlic vinaigrette and freshly grated goat cheese.  The sweet and tangy lemon garlic dressing works perfectly with the creamy and slightly tart flavors of goat cheese.  This light dish is perfect as a starter for anyone not looking to be bogged down by a heavy or fried appetizer and still leaving room for dinner.

Fiddlehead greens are the furlong frongs of a young fern which are harvested while they are still curled into themselves.  The term fiddlehead derives from the curled, ornamentation style ending (or srcoll) of a stringed musical instrument.  These ferns have a slight crunch to them, close to that of asparagus and are rich in potassium and a strong source of dietary fiber.  Fiddleheads are only able to be harvested over a small span of a few weeks in the beginning of spring so are not available throughout the year.  

 
White asparagus is normal asparagus that has gone through the process of etiolation. This is the process in which during the growing period of aspargus, the entire plant is covered in dirt so that no light touches it, thus giving it the white color.  Doing this in turn gives white asparagus a slightly milder flavor and a more tender product than that of normal asparagus.  Finally, a meyer lemon is a chinese crossover of a normal lemon with that of either a mandarin or orange, giving it a slightly tart yet citrusy taste that allows it to be eaten on it's own, without the extremely sour taste of a normal lemon. 

While the recent weather has put a damper on plans and slowing the progression towards warm weather, we hope that this spring dish helps you usher in a new wave of weather.