This soup can be consumed as a savory and cold panna cotta or a warm traditional soup. It has the elusive but delicious flavors of asparagus and (in the background) calabasa squash, and not much else.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of green asparagus (500 g. or 1 pound)
• 3 small calabasa squash
• 2 cups of whipping cream
• 4 ounces of fresh goat cheese
• Spices: 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of red Aleppo pepper, a dash of black pepper

METHOD:

1. Boil the asparagus and the squash for 5 to 7 minutes or until a knife inserted in comes out easily. Drop into a bowl of icy water and drain well. Reserve part of the cooking water.
2. Place the asparagus (keep a few to use for a garnish) and the squash in the food processor; add 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water and purée the mixture until smooth; add the cream, spices, goat cheese, and purée some more until very smooth; taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Now if you want to serve warm, you are done. If you wish to serve this as a panna cotta, place the cream back on the stove, sprinkle .1 ounce (4 grams or 2 teaspoons) of agar-agar on the surface and start stirring. When the mixture steams, keep stirring for 2 minutes then set aside. Pour into ramequins or small bowls, garnish with the asparagus spears and let cool. When at room temperature, refrigerate covered until firm, about 2 hours. Serve cold.

Alice (daughter, almost 18) said a while ago: ” I don’t know why you like to cook; I don’t find anything fun about cooking, so don’t expect me to cook with you or anything”.

Tonight,  she was inspired; she requested a few items, brought her laptop into the kitchen to show me the source of her inspiration: A blog with an italian name from a blogger in San Fransisco, a very well-made blog with impeccable photos and recipes, scarpettadolcetto.wordpress.com

INGREDIENTS: 6 servings

• Puff pastry (I buy puff pastry squares from the Middle-Eastern store, pre-cut)
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 1 onion
• olive oil, as needed
• salt, pepper
• Shredded cheese (a mixture of Gouda, sharp cheddar and mozzarella)

METHOD:

1. Roll puff pastry into small rectangles. With the tip of a knife, draw a fine line one inch from the border inside the pastry rectangle all around to form a margin.
2. Bake the pastry in a 35oF oven until they are golden, about 15 minutes.
3. In the meantime, boil salted water in a pot; drop the asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes; drain and drop in icy water.
4. Remove the asparagus and dry in a towel; chop the onion and fry in some olive oil until the onion is soft and a bit caramelized. Divide the onion between the tarts. Place 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on each tart. Cut the asparagus to fit and place them on the cheese. Bake the tarts to melt the cheese another 5 to 10 minutes. Brush some olive oil on the asparagus and serve warm or at room temperature.

The weather these days in Dallas is as close to perfect as can be; everybody is outside, at the park, at the lake, people are barbecuing and the smell of meat is wafting through the air.

I just feel lazy; when it is so beautiful outside, all one wants to do is enjoy the fresh air, go for a walk, relax; which is what we did. I brought the asparagus, my friend made a nice salad and it was great!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• To make dressing: 1 cup of lowfat yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios
• salt, pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Slice off the tough ends of the asparagus.
2. Boil in salted  water or steam. Drop in a bowl of icy water to stop the cooking.
3. Drain, set on a plate. Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients.
4. Serve at room temperature.

I got the idea for the vinaigrette from La Cuisine de Mercotte ; when I moved to France in the seventies, the most incredible food I tasted was a passion fruit sorbet. I wanted to find it in the US, to no avail. Finally, supermarkets started to carry passion fruit, in the exotic fruit section. If you buy one, get the crinkled ones and hold them to make sure they are somewhat heavy; otherwise, you will end up with one that has almost no flesh. If you have never tasted passion fruit, you should! I found some frozen passion fruit juice  at Indian groceries.

This meal can be made in a jiffy and yet it is somewhat fancy; with the passion fruit addition, it fits the Valentine theme.

INGREDIENTS: For two servings

• 8 large sea scallops
• olive oil
• 1 bunch of asparagus, green and white or only one type
• 2 or 3  passion fruits (depending on size)
• Spices: salt, pepper, sugar

If you want to make the tuiles, these can be done 2 days before and kept in a tightly closed container. You will use shredded parmesan cheese. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and heat the oven to 375F; position a hear-shaped cookie cutter (metal!) on the parchment paper and fill it with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to turn color. Watch it carefully because it will burn rather quickly. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute or so, then tap it gently with a knife to dislodge the tuile. Store or use that day.

METHOD:

1. Start with the vinaigrette:

Grab a serrated knife and cut the passion fruits in two. Scoop out the flesh (including the seeds) into a bowl. Using your taste as a guide, add some sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil and whip to emulsify.

1. Cook the scallops:

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Dry  the scallops with a paper towel, sprinkle with seasoning and pan-fry on both sides, waiting to brown lightly one side and then flipping them to the other side, about 3 minutes per side depending on their size and thickness (they will shrink). Set aside in a warm oven.

1. Cook the asparagus:

While the asparagus are cooking, boil some water or steam the asparagus over boiling water for 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove, drain and place on a serving plate.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

On each plate, place 3 asparagus stalks of each color, joining them together at the tip in a warm embrace. Add the sizzling scallops on top in a neat row. Drizzle some passion fruit vinaigrette and let it drip, unrestrained, all over the plate. Stick a parmesan tuile in between the asparagus stalks.